


The Blood Bond

by zelsbels



Series: The Blood Bond [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Lesbian Vampires, Slow Burn, Useless Lesbians, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:15:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27880614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zelsbels/pseuds/zelsbels
Summary: Lydia crashes into Kara after stealing back a family heirloom.  Kara is injured in the collision, and Lydia feels the need to take care of her.
Series: The Blood Bond [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2041430
Comments: 22
Kudos: 16





	1. The Collision

Water splashed underfoot as Lydia sprinted through an alleyway, the sharp turn almost giving her vertigo. Leaping through the air as she neared the end of the alleyway, she scrambled up and over the wall blocking passage through.

The cops were close behind, but couldn’t keep up with her. They didn’t have what she had - her powers, her grace, her speed. Those cops? They were just humans who didn’t know what she was. Just that she had stolen something…. Priceless.

Lydia didn’t stop running, taking quick twists and turns, blending into the shadows. She’d made a rookie mistake, getting caught. But humans couldn’t see her use her powers to her full extent. It would clue them in that maybe, just maybe, the supernatural was real.

She wasn’t looking ahead of her as she ran. No, she was looking to the sides and behind her. And perhaps that’s why she didn’t see the person in front of her, struck with awe at her speed and her agility. Not until it was too late and she barreled into the woman. 

They toppled over each other, rolling over the ground. And Lydia landed on her back, the woman unconscious on top of her. Her head was bleeding from hitting the ground.

“Shit.” Lydia said. “Shit, shit, shit!” She pulled the woman’s body into her arms, gently so as to not further injure her, and looked around for any lost belongings. The trinket she stole was still in her pocket, but the woman’s things were everywhere.

Lydia set the woman down on the ground, her nose burning with the stench of blood and her eyes lighting up with hunger, and she moved as fast as she could to pick up the belongings, putting them back into the woman’s purse. She opened the lady’s wallet to get a glimpse of her ID, to catch her address, and put the wallet away after memorizing it.

 _Kara Olden, 425 5th St, Apartment C._ She glanced around again to get her bearings as she picked the woman up again, and realized she wasn’t too far from there. So she melted into the shadows, and blurred along them until she reached the apartment.

She flipped through the keys until she found one that looked like it belonged to an apartment door, and tried it in the lock. It turned, and she heaved a sigh of relief that she got it on the first try. Her stomach growled, and she made it a point to not look at the woman in her arms. Her food needed to be consenting, and an unconscious woman could not consent.

As she stepped into the apartment, she was greeted by a large dog. The dog watched her with interested eyes as she used her foot to close the door behind her, and carried the unconscious woman to the couch. Her dog approached slowly, sniffing at their owner, and looking at Lydia with curious eyes.

“Don’t worry, pup. I’ll get her all fixed up for you, and then I’ll be out of your hair.” She spoke loudly enough for the dog to hear, but quietly enough that it wouldn’t wake the sleeping woman. 

The dog whined, resting their head on the woman’s leg and peering up at Lydia. Sighing, Lydia gave in and petted the dog’s head. This dog was lucky she was a dog person, even before she had been turned.

She finally pulled her mask down, and the smell of fresh blood assaulted her nose. Her stomach growling again, she pulled her mask back up and set about looking for a first aid kit. The dog followed her through the apartment, watching her with their large puppy eyes. They wanted more pets, that was for certain.

In the bathroom, she found the first aid kit. It was stuffed in the third drawer down, behind a slew of differently colored nail polishes. As she closed the drawer, she heard a soft groan. In a flash, she was back in the living room, with the first aid kit in hand.

“Shh, hey. Hey, it’s okay. You’re home, I’m gonna patch you up, and then I’ll be out of your hair.” She pulled the coffee table forward, unsure if it would actually support her weight, but couldn’t find anything else in the room low enough to sit on to be next to the woman’s face.

“Huh?” Came the woman’s confused reply. “Home? H-How?”

“Yes, home. I brought you home. I’m sorry I crashed into you, I wasn’t looking where I was going-”

“Oh.” The woman turned her head, and vomited on the floor.

 _Oh no. She has a bad concussion._ Lydia got up again, stepping over the vomit, and shooing the dog away from it. She grabbed a couple of towels and a large mixing bowl, and used one towel to clean up the vomit from the floor and the side of the couch, and laid the other towel over the path and put the bowl next to the woman’s head.

The woman, Kara, if Lydia was remembering right from the driver’s license, tried to sit up.

“Woah, hey, no, don’t do that. Just lay down. Relax. Your buddy is here and worried about you. Let me patch you up.”

“Wh-Who are you?” Kara’s reply came, she sounded miserable. _Though,_ Lydia thought, _I would too if I just got barreled over by someone going upwards of forty miles per hour…._

“I’m Lydia.” She said from the kitchen, washing her hands after tossing the used towel into the washing machine she had passed on the way to the bathroom. 

“Well, Lydia…. It’s nice to meet you, I guess. I’m Kara.” She spoke slowly, pausing every other word. Her voice was light and airy, but also strained, as if speaking took effort. 

“Okay, Kara, this is going to sting a little bit. But try not to move. I need to patch you up. You’re bleeding.” Lydia picked up the bottle of saline, and wet a cloth with it. She bit her lower lip to keep from the instinct that screamed “Lick the blood off!” though it likely appeared to be in concentration. Hopefully. 

Kara winced in pain when the wet cloth dabbed her head, but didn’t fight it. She sighed in relief when the cloth trailed down where the blood had gone, wiping it away. Her bright green eyes widened when Lydia leaned in close, investigating the wound. 

“I’m going to need to put steri strips on it. Please bear with me.” Lydia said. Her brown eyes caught Kara’s eyes in an electric instant and she froze, noticing the proximity between them. She sat up quickly, clearing her throat. 

The moment was dispelled, thankfully, by Kara’s dog climbing up onto the couch to lay on Kara’s legs. They settled onto her with a soft grunt, laying their head on her pelvis and looking between Kara and Lydia. 

Lydia swallowed, taking a steadying breath, and placed the kit on Kara’s ribs. 

“This is going to hurt a little bit, so please try to stay calm.” She said in what she hoped was a calming tone as she put the amount of steri strips she thought she’d need on the fingers of her right hand. Then, with her left, she pinched the wound shut. 

Kara gasped in pain, squeezing her eyes shut and making an inarticulate noise. 

“Shh, it’ll be over soon.” Lydia said, deftly placing the strips along the wound. She then covered it with gauze, and taped it to Kara’s forehead. 

Kara took a few quick breaths, her eyes wide with pain. “That was really painful.” She said slowly. 

“I know. But it’s worth it to not have a garish scar on your face, right?” Lydia propped her head on one of her hands, her elbow resting on her knee. She used this opportunity to take in Kara’s appearance. She was a shorter woman, and a bit on the thin side. She had delicate curves that were muted by her laying down on the couch. Her hair was dyed a light purple, that made her eyes stand out even more. Looking at her roots, Lydia couldn’t tell what her natural color was. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Kara asked, trying to sit up. 

“Like what?” Lydia absentmindedly reached over, putting a hand to the top of Kara’s chest to press her back onto the couch. 

“I don’t know. You just…. Have this look about you.” Kara shook her head, then vomited again. It went into the bowl. 

“I don’t mean to intimidate you, if that’s what you’re getting at.” Lydia said. 

Kara glanced up at Lydia, her head hanging off the couch. She spat into the bowl of vomit, and slowly returned to laying down. “It’s not that.” Kara closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know how to explain it.” She finally said. 

“Ah. Well. I should probably be going now. I’ll come check on you in a few hours.” Lydia said, suddenly feeling awkward. 

“Wait.” Kara reached over and grabbed Lydia’s wrist. “I need to know, why were you running in the first place?” 

Lydia paused, thinking about it. A thousand different lies ran through her head. Finally, she decided to tell the truth. “I was running from the cops.” 

“Why?” Kara asked. 

“I, ah, stole something that belongs to my family. Something expensive, something irreplaceable.” Lydia crossed her arms. “And what were you doing out in the middle of the night?” 

“I was going for an evening walk. They help me calm down when I can’t sleep.” 

“Some day for going for a walk, huh?” Lydia smirked. 

“Some day for a heist.” Kara chuckled. 

Lydia was taken aback. “You’re not…. Judging me for stealing?” 

“If it truly belongs in your family, then it’s rightfully yours to take. I mean, were there better ways to go about getting it back? Probably. But you gotta do what you gotta do.” Kara spoke slowly, and released Lydia’s hand. 

She closed her eyes, then murmured, “Promise you’re going to come back?” 

“Of course. I may be a rotten thief, but my word is my bond.” Lydia responded, giving the dog another pat on their head. “Can I ask you one more thing?” 

“You just did, but sure.” Kara was smiling, though her eyes were still closed. 

“What’s your dog’s name?” She looked at the dog, which was a large, shaggy, black dog. Almost wolf sized. 

“Her name is Bessie. She’s a newfoundland.” Kara’s hands absentmindedly stroked through the thick fur on Bessie’s head. 

Lydia nodded, then realized that Kara couldn’t see, and said, “She’s a beautiful dog.” 

“She likes you. That’s a good thing.” Kara hummed as she continued petting Bessie. 

Lydia smiled, then flipped her mask around to show a different color, and tied her hoodie around her waist, letting her hair down in the process. “I’ll see you in a few hours. I can’t come during the day, though.” 

“Okay. Bye, Lydia.” She lazily waved a hand before going back to playing with Bessie’s fur, and before she could register it, Lydia was gone. 

Lydia took a deep breath, standing outside of Kara’s apartment and leaning against the door. “Dammit.” She thought of the delicate curve of Kara’s neck, and her high cheekbones. Her lilac hair, and her bright blue eyes. “I need to eat something.” 

She melded into the shadows, and rushed back to her place. It was still the middle of the night, she wasn’t there for maybe more than an hour, but she still felt the urgency to hurry. 

Lydia stuck to side streets, trying to keep Kara off her mind, as she sprinted home. Unlocking her door, she stepped inside, and finally took her mask off, kicking her shoes into the corner. 

She reached into her pocket and took out the locket she’d stolen from the museum. Opening it, she saw her face smiling back at her, in black and white. But she knew the alabaster skin, the deep brown eyes, and the jet black hair. It was her. And next to her picture was another one that she recognized - her twin sister’s face. She idly stroked her finger over the thin glass protecting the photograph. She looked almost identical to Lydia, with the exception that her hair was cropped short into a bob. Her name was Lily. 

Choking back tears, Lydia took the locket and stashed it inside of the jewelry box on top of her fireplace. She then took her hoodie and jeans off, tossing them into the fireplace. Grabbing a match, she struck it against the side of the box, lighting the kindling and watching as her clothes went up in flames. She walked to the other side of the house, to her room, and pulled out a new pair of jeans and another hoodie. 

Lydia meandered to her kitchen, and opened the fridge. It was full of bags of a thick, red fluid. She picked one up after scanning them quietly, then popped it open and poured it into a wine glass. She lounged on her couch, watching the fire and sipping her drink and letting her mind wander. 

When she finished the glass, she got up and rinsed it out. She glanced at the time. It was about two hours until dawn. If she was quick, she could make it to Kara’s in time to get home before the sun rose. She grabbed her sunglasses just in case. 

In the distance, she heard sirens, and she wondered if they were still searching for her. Lydia made sure her curtains were pulled shut tightly, and then she left again. She stuck to the shadows, blurring into them and darting back to Kara’s apartment. 

She let herself in when she reached the apartment. Kara was sleeping on the couch, and it appeared that Bessie hadn’t moved. Though she did lift her head and tilted it to the side when Lydia stepped inside. Her tail thumped against the side of the couch. 

“Hey, Bessie. Is Kara doing okay?” Lydia asked in a low voice. She didn’t expect a response, it wasn’t like she could talk to dogs. She wasn’t a werewolf, afterall. They just took a liking to her more than most people. 

She glanced from Bessie to Kara, who was sleeping on the couch. It appeared, looking at the bowl, that she had puked a few more times. Lydia quietly picked up the bowl and went to the bathroom to dump out the vomit in the toilet, then went to the kitchen to rinse the bowl, and finally set the bowl back in its spot on the towel. 

Lydia noticed that some hair had fallen into Kara’s face. She reached over to brush it out, and just before her hand reached its destination, she hesitated, and pulled her hand back. She didn’t know Kara that well, or hardly at all, she shouldn’t be brushing her hair out of her face. 

Almost as though the sleeping Kara read Lydia’s intentions, she clumsily brushed her hair out of her face on her own, and turned her head to the side. Lydia smiled and sat down on the coffee table. She reached over and petted Bessie’s head, scooting on the coffee table so that she could reach the dog more easily. 

As she moved, the coffee table creaked, and Kara jerked awake with a deep inhale. “You’re back already.” She said softly. It wasn’t a question, just a statement. 

“Of course. I promised I would come back to check on you.” Lydia got up and went to the kitchen, opening the freezer. “Do you have any ice packs?” 

“Uh…. Yeah. Towards the back.” Kara’s voice strained. Lydia only heard it because of her heightened senses. 

She found the ice packs, and grabbed one of them, wrapping it in the dish towel hanging off the oven handle, and returned to Kara’s side. “Here. We should have done this earlier, but I forgot to bring it up. Put this over your wound, it’ll help with the swelling and the pain.” 

Kara did as was directed, putting the ice pack over her bandage, and holding it there. She mumbled a “Thank you” and fell back to sleep. 

Lydia stayed a while longer, petting Bessie and watching over Kara, then left again. She made her way home, blending into the shadows and avoiding the main streets. Even though she was wearing different clothes than her prior description, she didn’t want to be seen by the cops. It was too risky. She’d have to lay low for a while. Which was hard, now, since she felt an obligation to keep watch over Kara until she recovered from her wound. Since, well, she did literally crash into her that evening. 

She got home just before sunrise, thankfully, and locked her door just as the first rays of dawn kicked in. The light seared her eyes, but that was all. She breathed a sigh of relief, and sank down onto her couch, watching the last of the fire burn itself out. And, soon, she drifted off to sleep. 


	2. Chapter Two - An Unusual Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia and Kara become fast friends, until Kara finds out that Lydia is a vampire.

The gentle chime of Lydia’s phone alarm woke her. She rose from her bed, stretching luxuriously. She had work that night, so she decided to wake up a little earlier to check on Kara. She still felt responsible for what had happened, and even more so that she didn’t take her to the hospital. But the hospital was on the opposite side of town, and she was on her own two feet, and Kara’s house was much closer than the hospital.

Perhaps she could talk to Kara and see if she would be willing to go to the hospital, just to get a check to make sure that she didn’t have any internal bleeding. 

Glancing around to ensure that no one was watching, she melded into the shadows, and before she knew it, she was at Kara’s apartment. She knocked on the door, calling, “Kara? It’s Lydia.”

There was a shuffling noise inside the apartment, then Kara responded, “Come in!” It was clear that it strained her voice to call as loudly as she did, but Lydia wasn’t about to tell her that she could hear her even moving around in the apartment. 

She opened the door, seeing herself inside. Kara was sitting up on the couch, clearly feeling better than she did the night before. She was holding the ice pack to her head, watching Bessie roll around on the floor. As Lydia closed the door behind her, Kara turned and gave her a friendly wave.

“Why if it isn’t the fastest, most clumsy woman on Earth herself!” Kara grinned, showing that she was joking. 

Lydia laughed nervously, still feeling guilty. “That’s me. Fast and clumsy.” She crossed the short distance from the door to the couch, taking the seat next to Kara. As she moved, Bessie stopped rolling and pranced up to her, resting her head on Lydia’s lap and peering up at her. Lydia scritched Bessie’s head and behind her ears. 

“No, but seriously. You were fast! I swear, you broke a world record with how quickly you were running from those cops!” Kara grinned at Lydia, until she saw her companion’s face, then her expression fell. “You must feel horrible though, knocking me over like that.”

“I do. That’s why I want to do the right thing now and take you to the hospital. I wasn’t thinking clearly last night, and that could endanger you further.” _Not to mention that if I had been going any faster, I may have actually killed you…._ Lydia thought after she spoke.

“Oh, don’t worry.” Kara’s smile was more gentle this time, almost reassuring.

“But what if you have internal bleeding?” Lydia asked.

“I don’t.” Kara said.

“How do you know if you haven’t gone to the hospital?” Lydia was bewildered.

Kara laughed outright, “Because I _have_ gone to the hospital, silly. I went this morning when I woke up. They didn’t bother with the steri strips and said you did a good job. But they ran a CT scan and didn’t find anything wrong.” 

“Oh. That’s good, that they didn’t find anything amiss.” 

“Plus, it means I get a break from work.” Kara nudged Lydia with her elbow playfully.

“What do you do for work?” Lydia asked, and by the mischievous smile on Kara’s face, it seemed as though she fell into a trap.

Kara lowered her voice conspiratorially, “I’m a cop.”

Lydia was halfway to the door when Kara started laughing hysterically, “I’m not a cop! I’m not a cop! I promise. I’m just a paranormal hunter.”

“You’re a…. What, now?” Lydia asked tentatively. This could get dangerous.

“A paranormal hunter. I hunt ghosts, demons, vampires, werewolves…. You name it, and I hunt it.” Kara said proudly.

Oh, this is dangerous, Lydia thought. “Oh. That’s wonderful. Do you enjoy your job?”

“Enjoy it? I love it! I get paid to do something most people don’t even believe in. Like, did you know there’s an entire secret society of supernatural beings?”

“No, not at all.” _Yes._

“You’re taking this really well. Most people run screaming when I tell them what I do, and that the paranormal is real.” She narrowed her eyes, “Unless….” Then she laughed again, “Nah, I’m kidding.”

“So, what can you tell me about vampires?” Lydia asked, wanting to test Kara’s knowledge.

“Well, first things first, they _can_ go out in daylight. It just hurts their eyes. Second, dogs love ‘em. Third, they don’t have to drain their victims. In fact, most of them use the blood play part of the BDSM scene as an excuse to feed, or just drink from plasma donations. It’s very rare for an older vampire to kill their victims. Most of the vampire killings are done by new vampires who don’t have control over their thirst yet.” She paused, “Oh. And they can’t turn into bats or sparkle. But they do have some other abilities…. Like melding into the shadows, running faster than the human eye can see, super strength…. Though, they’re not as strong as werewolves, I’ll give them that. And, like most of the paranormal, they’re harmed by silver.” Kara looked thoughtful. 

Lydia found herself entranced by Kara as she spoke. She was right, for the most part. Though, the amount of vampires in the BDSM scene was lower than she made it sound, from Lydia’s experience. She shook her head, realizing that she’d been staring at Kara. “So, what do you do with the vampires that don’t kill their, uh, prey?”

“Nothing, usually. Not unless they’re just attacking people and drinking from them at random.” Kara shrugged, “If their prey consents, there’s nothing we _can_ do.”

“We?” Lydia blinked in rapid succession. “There’s more than one of you?” She knew that there were hunters out there, but she had moved to the area many years back because there weren’t any hunters because back then, hunters would kill indiscriminately. There was real danger, even if you weren’t one of the ravenous zealots who believed in drinking to kill. It was essentially ‘guilt by association,’ even if you didn’t know or associate with the vampires in question. Blatant prejudice.

“Of course.” Kara laughed, the sound melodic to Lydia’s ears. “There’s an entire team of us.”

Lydia took a deep breath, steadying herself. When she spoke, she did her best to sound casual. “Ah, and how many of you are there?”

“Mm.” Kara tapped her chin with her free hand, a thoughtful look on her face. “I’d say about eighteen or so? Maybe closer to twenty….” 

_Twenty hunters? For this dinky little town?_ Lydia was taken aback. “What’s going on in the town that it needs so many hunters?”

“Oh, I’m not at liberty to disclose that. Gotta keep the rest of the humans safe and out of the darker waters, you know? We’re all people that have had experiences happen to us that we couldn’t explain, so we took up hunting. For me, it started with ghosts. That led to investigation, which led to hunting. But I, like my group, only hunt the paranormal entities that cause harm.” 

“What if I told you I had an…. Experience, too?” Lydia asked. She was getting dangerously close to admitting her secret, and she couldn’t have that. But if she could just glean a little more information out of Kara, maybe she could stop things before they went too far. Maybe she could protect the town from whatever invisible beast was clogging it up.

She had noticed a lot of people going missing lately. And more howls in the wind on full moons. There also had been more whispers among the townsfolk about unexplainable happenstances. She had been living here for almost two decades, and felt as though she was letting the people she cared for down by not noticing these things sooner. 

“What kind of experience?” Kara asked, suddenly attentive. 

“An experience with a vampire.” To be fair, it wasn’t a lie. Lydia had had an experience with a vampire. It’s just that it turned her into one too. But Kara didn’t need to know that. 

“I see. What happened? Did they drink from you? Did they attack you? I need to know.” Kara paused, “Well, I don’t need to know, but I really, really want to know.” She stood, wobbly on her legs, and moved to the kitchen. Lydia got up in a flash, and was at her side, offering her arm. Kara took it with a confused smile, and the two moved together.

“I will tell you after work, how’s that?” Lydia said, looking at the watch on her wrist to take note of the time. _If I hurry, I can still make it on time. I’ve spent too long here talking to her, and if I’m not careful, I’ll say too much,_ she thought. 

“Oh, you have to leave already?” Kara looked dejected as she opened the freezer door, putting the ice pack back in and closing it.

“I do, unfortunately. I have to get to the hospital fifteen minutes before my shift starts.” Lydia spoke without realizing it, and fought the urge to put her hand to her mouth to stop any more words from coming out. She balled her hand into a fist instead. 

“What do you do at the hospital?” Kara asked as the two made their way back to the couch. 

“I’m a phlebotomist.” Lydia resigned herself to the fact that, for some reason, she could not lie to this woman, nor could she keep her damn mouth shut. She barely managed to keep herself from saying, _“I chose to become one because it allowed me to skim blood from the hospital without being noticed, and allowed me to not have to keep someone around as cattle.”_

“Interesting.” Kara said. Lydia helped her settle on the couch, and handed her the remote to the television.

“Well, I best be going. Don’t want to be late for work.” Lydia knelt down and ruffled Bessie’s jowls. “You, be a good puppy and keep an eye on Kara for me. Don’t make her do too much work.” Bessie’s tail thumped the ground heavily in response, and Lydia got up. She waved goodbye to Kara, and left the apartment.

Before she could do anything else, Lydia looked around, then melded into the shadows. She sprinted as fast as she could to the hospital. Were she not undead, she would have been sweating by the time she arrived. 

She pulled up her mask, checking her scrubs for stray dog hair, and when she decided she looked professional enough, she walked into the hospital.

Her shift was boring and uneventful, and she found her mind kept wandering to Kara and whether or not she was taking care of herself. _Of course she is, she’s an adult. She doesn’t need me to coddle her. Plus, she’s a hunter. What if she finds out that I’m a vampire?_ Lydia thought as she drew blood samples from one of her routine patients.

“Hey.” Her patient, an older man, said. “You seem out of it today.”

“Just a little bit. It’s not pinching, is it?” Lydia asked, suddenly nervous that her thoughts had affected her care.

“No. You just don’t seem to be somewhere else today.” He gave her a wry smile. “Is there someone on your mind?”

Lydia shook her head, “No, nothing of the sort.” She lied as the final vial filled. “Oh, would you look at that. Our draw is done.” She placed a bandaid over the spot on his elbow. “Have a fine evening, Mister Dolmer.”

Mr. Dolmer scooted out of the chair with the help of Lydia, who handed him his cane, and he waddled out of the office, happily mumbling something about “Kids these days.” 

Lydia took her time sanitizing the room after his departure and found that, once again, her mind wandered over to Kara. Her openness, this time. At first, a smile tugged at her lips, then Lydia grew concerned. That kind of openness could get her harmed, or worse. She wondered why Kara felt so comfortable opening up to Lydia about her profession, when she didn’t even know what Lydia was.

Just as she slumped into the stool, her supervisor poked his head into the office, “Oh, there you are, Lydia. I think it’s slow enough now that you can go get food.”

Lydia looked up at him and nodded. “Thanks, Nathan.”

He nodded, and she slipped out to the cafeteria. 

She couldn’t actually taste food, but she could still ingest it, though liquids went down easier. So she normally just got a coffee or something, to appear human. As she sipped her coffee, she watched the clock on her phone as she scrolled through her social media apps. Though each minute slowly ticked by, eventually her hour was up and she could go back to work.

Lydia went through the routine of going to different patients’ rooms and drawing blood, if they couldn’t come to her station, and drawing blood from her office and sanitizing it afterwards, and soon enough it was time to clock out and go home.

Before going home, she stopped at Kara’s house, jumping and leaping through the shadows unnoticed by anyone else in the early predawn hours. She paced herself better than she did on her way to work, not worrying about the time.

When she reached Kara’s house, she knocked on the door. She heard a friendly “Boof,” and opened the door after hearing a faint, groggy, “Come in!”

Bessie pranced circles around Lydia’s legs, occasionally bumping into her for affection and pets. Lydia laughed and gave Bessie the attention she was seeking, kneeling on the ground to do so. 

She looked up to see Kara stumbling out of what she presumed was her bedroom in a thin nightgown, looking somewhere between confused about being awake at the early hour and happy to see Lydia.

“You know,” Kara started, “I’ve never seen Bessie so happy to see anyone before she met you.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Lydia responded, not stopping the belly rubs that were causing Bessie to kick at the air with one of her hind legs, “Isn’t she like this with everyone?”

“Not at all. She’s normally very protective of me, bordering on aggressively so.” Kara gave Lydia a suspicious look, “Either you’re just that good of a person, or….” She shook her head, as if to clear her mind of whatever she was going to say. “Either way, I can’t take her with me when we go vampire hunting because something about vampires clears away that protective instinct and she turns into a noodle.”

“Hm.” Lydia hummed, hugging Bessie as she sat up. Bessie was large enough that, with the two of them sitting on the floor, she was significantly taller than Lydia. She looked up from burying her face into Bessie’s long fur to see Kara smiling. Whether the smile was meant for her or the dog, Lydia wasn’t sure. So she chalked it up to being meant for Bessie.

Lydia was glad that she was a dog person before she had been turned into a vampire several centuries back. She couldn’t imagine being loved by such pure creatures and not liking them back, but she had met plenty of vampires that hated the tell with a passion. She looked at Bessie, and fluffed the mane on her chest, combing through it. She could tell that Bessie was very well-loved and cared for, even in the small apartment, because she had no knots in her fur at all. She was silky smooth, and didn’t have a speck of dust or dirt in her fur. Bessie practically preened from the attention.

“I hate to be rude in getting food just for me, so would you like something to eat?” Kara suddenly asked, purposefully moving towards the kitchen as she spoke.

“Oh! Uh, no thank you. It’s almost my bedtime, and I try not to eat before bed. Plus, I had some coffee at lunch, so I’m all set.” Lydia gave Kara a reassuring smile, “You don’t need to worry yourself.”

“Coffee is hardly a meal!” Kara crossed her arms, trying to look serious. But it was hard for Lydia to take her seriously with the gigantic bandage on her forehead still. Speaking of, it needed to be changed out for a fresh one.

“It _so_ is a meal.” Lydia said, “Also, before you do anything, do you mind sitting on the couch real quick? I need to change your bandage.”

“Sure.” Kara closed the refrigerator door and walked over to the couch, sitting down on it. 

The medical kit was still on the coffee table, but everything else was immaculate, so either Kara kept everything else clean and deliberately left it out, or she usually kept everything clean and just hadn’t felt up to cleaning up the medical kit or doing anything else. Lydia wasn’t sure which it was, and she wasn’t about to ask. 

Lydia went into the kitchen and washed her hands, realizing that she forgot to do it when she did Kara’s steri strips and grew worried about infection. As she dried her hands off with a paper towel, she discarded it in the recycling bin and sat onto the couch next to Kara, their knees bumping together as she bounced into her seat. She peeled the tape away from the bandage, and caught the gauze as it fell off Kara’s forehead. There was minimal seeping, and the swelling was almost entirely gone. Lydia reached into her pocket for the miniature flashlight she kept on her keychain, and shined it on Kara’s wound. It didn’t look irritated, which Lydia said a silent thank you for. She put her keys away and set about replacing the dressing with new gauze and tape.

“It looks good, from what I can tell.” Lydia said after she finished redressing the wound. She set the medical kit back on the table. 

Kara rolled her shoulders back, then stretched her neck from side to side, shaking her hands out. “Geez, your hands are like ice. It was so hard to sit still and not say anything.” She said it with a smile on her face, which told Lydia that she was just giving her shit.

“Well, you know what they say about cool hands….” Lydia started.

“....Warm heart.” She and Kara said in unison. They beamed at each other, making eye contact, then quickly turned their faces away.

“So…. How long have you been in the city?” Lydia asked. She’d clearly been here long enough to get settled, but Lydia was still curious, even though it wasn’t any of her business.

“Oh, a few months. I plan to stay until we can sort out the paranormal issues, but you never know. I kind of like it here, and usually one person stays behind in the group to make sure that nothing bad pops back up.” Kara shrugged.

“How do you keep a decent amount of hunters in a group, then?” Lydia couldn’t help but ask, though she asked it tentatively.

“Oh, we have a whole network of people. There’s thousands of hunters, and with the paranormal acting the way it has been of late, there’s more and more people becoming initiated by the day. Most hunters only do it part time, because they still have their day jobs and families and such, but others - like me - have turned it into their full time job. No kids, no partner, no commitment, basically.” Kara waved her hand noncommittally, then got up and walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge again.

“So…. How do humans get initiated into this, uh, network?” Lydia turned around on the couch, watching Kara as she cracked some eggs into a bowl, and started whisking them.

“Usually, word will get out. But others? They start seeking answers and stumble onto the network.” Kara grabbed a pan, coating the inside with cooking spray, and set it on a burner. Lydia’s curiosity got the better of her, and before she knew it, she was standing at the entryway of the kitchen, watching Kara.

“Are they, like, abducted and taken into a secret safehouse and interrogated, or just, like, approached with,” Lydia dropped her voice in a low, dramatic tone when she continued, “‘Boy howdy, kid, do we have an opportunity for you.’”

Kysa giggled, gently pouring the eggs into the pan and grabbing a spatula. “It’s something more like the second, though we do usually request that we are met at a secret location.” 

“Do you ever recruit paranormal beings, or just humans?” Lydia asked, genuinely curious.

“It’s not unheard of, but it’s incredibly uncommon.” Kara’s face grew more serious as she deftly chopped onions, chives, and mushrooms, sprinkling them into the pan and adding some shredded swiss cheese. She flipped the sides of the egg up, folding it perfectly into an omelette. She flipped it effortlessly, and when it was done, she put it on a plate, adding a dash of salt and pepper along the top, followed by a small amount of extra shredded swiss.

Lydia found herself wishing she could taste food. That omelette looked delicious. But so did…. Lydia took a deep breath, clearing her head of all those thoughts.

“Did you want to join up?” Kara asked.

“I’ve been mulling it over. I want to protect this town. It’s been my home for a long time, and if there are unsavory beings threatening it, I feel like it’s my duty to do something about it.”

“Even though you weren’t aware of them happening before?” Kara asked, skeptical.

“I chalked the disappearances up to higher sex trafficking rates, and the howling up to wolves having escaped from the national park that’s nearby. It didn’t occur to me that it would be something paranormal.” Lydia chewed her lip in anticipation. Part of it, she wouldn’t admit to herself, was that she wanted to spend more time with Kara.

“I’ll talk about it with the training officers.” Kara said, “Hey, could you do me a favor and grab some cutlery for me? It’s in the drawer just to the left of you.” 

“Sure thing. Fork and a knife?” Lydia asked for clarification.

“Yes, please.” Kara nodded.

Lydia opened the drawer, and seeing the silverware, she grabbed a fork and knife. She winced, dropping them and hissing.

“Aha! I knew it!” Kara exclaimed. Lydia turned, alarmed. Kara was pointing a gun right between her eyes. “You’re a vampire!”

Lydia blinked. “Of course I am. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to hurt you.”

“How do I know you’re just not trying to win my trust so you can drain me?” Kara kept the gun trained to between Lydia’s eyes, reaching down with one hand to turn the stove burner off without looking.

“You yourself said you leave the ones who don’t harm others alone. Why are you acting like I’m going to hurt you now?” Lydia asked, pushing the drawer shut, “I’ve done nothing but help you and make sure you’re safe after I _accidentally_ caused you harm.”

“How can I be sure you’re not a spy? We’ve had spies before. Dozens were lost.” Kara looked as though this was painful for her to do.

“Kara, put the gun down. It’s okay. Look, I’ll show you that I don’t mean you harm.” Lydia stepped to the side, opening the cutlery drawer and grabbing the dropped fork. She winced and hissed, but she held it in her hand, out to Kara. “Please, take it. This hurts, a lot.”

Kara slowly lowered the gun, flicking the safety back on and carefully putting it back into the drawer. “You’re willingly hurting yourself to help me?”

“I need you to know I’m serious.” Lydia said.

Hesitantly, Kara reached over and took the fork from Lydia’s hand, her fingertips brushing Lydia’s palm. They maintained eye contact the entire time.

“Oh, your hand-” Kara started.

“I’ll be fine. Once I get to my storage system at home, I’ll be okay.” Lydia said in her most reassuring tone.

“I’ll…. I’ll talk to my training officers. See what we can work out.” Kara relented. “But if you make one wrong move-”

“I get it. You can trust me. I could have left you laying in the street, where anyone could have found you. But I didn’t, I brought you home. I dressed your wound, and made sure you’re okay.” Lydia held her hands up in surrender.

“Why?” Kara’s green eyes, now fierce and dangerous, were narrowed at Lydia.

“Because it was the right thing to do.” Lydia said calmly.

Kara took a deep breath. “Even though the cops were after you for stealing a necklace?” 

“Yes.” Lydia said.

“So you risked getting arrested and found out as a vampire…. Just to make sure I was okay?” Kara asked.

“Yes.” Lydia repeated.

“All because you thought it was the right thing to do?” Kara pressed.

“Yes.” Lydia repeated, again. 

“Why was that necklace so important anyway?” Kara asked.

“It had a picture of me and my twin sister. It belongs with me, not in some museum.” Lydia was flabbergasted that Kara would be asking such a question in the middle of an interrogation, but she answered anyway.

Kara’s face softened. “Is she…. Also a vampire?”

“No. She’s long dead.” Lydia looked at the ground briefly, before taking her gaze back up to Kara’s eyes. 

“May I ask what happened?” Kara questioned.

“Let’s get you seated first. It’s a long story.” Lydia said, guiding Kara to the table, and taking the seat opposite her.


	3. Chapter Three - The Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia receives an unexpected invitation to join the paranormal hunters troupe, while beginning to struggle with her mixed feelings for Kara.

“It was the middle of the fifteenth century. My sister and I had just moved to England from the Empire.” Lydia began, “It was our first month in England. We were out late at night, returning home from a good time at the tavern. We decided to take a shortcut through an alleyway.”

Kara was absentmindedly eating her food as Lydia spoke, not saying a word. Her eyes were glued to Lydia.

“It was there that Lily and I became vampires. We were attacked, mercilessly, and when I begged for them to take my life instead of hers, the men turned me into a vampire and made me watch as they turned Lily too.” Lydia began to shake. Were she anything but a vampire, she’d be crying. “That began our life as immortals. We traveled the world, and when we reached the frontier in America, we made a promise to always stay together. We had our photographs taken, and we each bought a golden locket to put our pictures in.” 

“How…. How did you eat?” Kara asked.

“We had thralls throughout our centuries together. Men that we wed, and after a decade or two, we would leave for fear of being found out. My twin, when she was courting a male, made an error in judgement. She had been courting a hunter. She was murdered before my eyes. When he came after me, I went on the attack, and I…. Killed him.” Lydia stared at the table. “This was before the Civil War. So out in the West, people didn’t ask many questions. But I had to go into hiding before more hunters came after me.” 

Kara was watching her with wide eyes. “What did you do? Where did you go?”

“I stayed in Canada for a couple of decades, then came back just in time for the Civil War to start. That was a hard time, but I spent my time helping with freeing slaves.”

“But you kept thralls, wasn’t that essentially the same thing?” Kara asked, curious.

“I hated keeping thralls. But I needed to eat, and I felt better if my food consented first. So I made men fall in love with me, which wasn’t too awfully hard to do. As long as you cooked well and kept the house clean, a man would fall over his knees to be with you.” Lydia shrugged, “I don’t see it the same as slavery. Though, perhaps I broke too many hearts, leaving after two decades every time.”

“Did you ever fall in love with your thralls?” She asked Lydia.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I loved them, but I did genuinely care for them.” Lydia paused. “I haven’t had a thrall since blood transfusions became a common and safe practice.” 

“What about a lover?” Kara pressed, intrigued.

“Oh, I wouldn’t have considered any of my thralls my lovers, though I may have introduced them as such to keep up normal appearances.” Lydia paused, “To be frank, I’ve never had a lover. I have always tried to keep my distance from others because I like women, not men.”

“But you’re opening up to me.” Kara said with a coy smile.

“Something about you, you damnable woman.” Lydia laughed. “I feel like I can trust you, even when you point a gun to my face.”

Kara looked ashamed. “I’m sorry about that. I was just trying to protect myself and my friends.”

“I understand. But I mean you no harm. I just want to help.” Lydia held her hand out for a handshake. Kara took it, and shook her hand. “I’m Lydia Nichola, a vampire.”

“Kara Olden, a human, though I figure you already knew that.” She said with a smirk.

“Indeed I did, but it’s nice to have a formal introduction.” Lydia winked. Kara looked away, and Lydia wondered if she had done something wrong for a brief second.

Kara coughed, and turned her head back to face Lydia. “Sorry, excuse me. Food went down the wrong pipe.”

“No problem.” Lydia smiled at Kara, then casually glanced at her watch. She noticed the time. It was well past dawn at this point. She produced her sunglasses. “I’m sorry, but it’s time for me to leave. I need to get some rest in before my shift tonight.”

“Alright. Be safe.” Kara paused, “Before you go, can we exchange numbers? I want to be able to let you know when I hear back from my training officers after I recommend to them that you join up.” 

“Sure thing.” Lydia, for some reason that she couldn’t explain, was suddenly excited. She pulled her phone out after putting her glasses on her head like a headband, and rattled her number off to Kara, who had also pulled her phone out. She said her number, and Lydia put it into her phone.

“Thank you.” Kara said. 

“And thank you.” Lydia replied. She gave Bessie one more head pat, and slipped out the door, flicking her head down to knock her glasses onto her nose.

The walk home was agonizing. The morning sun shone brightly, and even with the darkly tinted glasses, Lydia could barely see. Her head pounded from the brightness, and she had to squint. She couldn’t dart into the shadows because there were too many cars out and about, and the noise made her head throb even more. She wasn’t used to this much sound. 

When she finally made it home, Lydia sank into a wall-sit against her door, locking it as she slid down the face of the door. She cradled her head in her hands, groaning.

“Ugh, I was supposed to just check on her, not give her my life story. Not offer to join up with her hunters. What if they decide that I’m dangerous, and come after me? What happens when I have to face off against other vampires? What do I do then?” Her eyes would have grown wet from the stress, but she couldn’t cry. So she blinked dryly, staring into nothingness. “I’m not equipped for fighting. I can’t do this, I can’t-” 

_Ding!_ Her phone went off. She pulled it out of her pocket and unlocked it. Kara’s name was the first thing on her screen. Despite herself, Lydia felt a smile tug at her lips.

_"Hey, just checking in and making sure you made it home safely. I texted Travis about you joining up and gave him your number. He hasn't responded yet, but he also has a really weird sleep schedule."_

Lydia could only assume that Travis was one of the training officers. She texted back, _“Okay. No worries, I keep a pretty weird sleep schedule too.”_

She got up from the floor, going over to the kitchen and putting her phone on its charger. She emptied her pockets, placing everything in its spot on the counter.

Walking across the house to the bathroom, she drew up her shower, and shed her clothes into the laundry basket. The hot water warmed her cool skin, and she sighed in relief as the day’s troubles seemed to wash away with the soap bubbles sliding down the drain. 

Then a sinking realization hit her. She dropped her loofah, staring into the nothingness that sat between her and the far shower wall. _What if I’m walking right into a trap? What if she’s lying, or what if she thinks I’m a danger to her safety? Would Kara be capable of doing something like that? What about her training officer?_ The only sound that hit her ears was the noise of her own breathing. It rang throughout her body as if it were empty, and she was paralyzed with fear. 

There was only one way to find out, and that was to go. Even though it had been years since she had to fight, she had to find out if Kara was being genuine or not. And if her troupe was really as accepting as she said they were.

Slowly, Lydia leaned down and picked up her loofah. She rinsed it out, then hung it back on its spot on the shower rack. Then, after making sure her hair was rinsed, she got out and dried off. 

Lydia collapsed onto her bed, crawling under the soft covers and drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

She woke to her alarm blaring. Groggily, she turned it off. A massive yawn escaped her, and she walked out of her room, to the kitchen. She idly went to check her phone, and just as she did, it started ringing. The number wasn’t saved to her contacts. Cautiously, she answered it. 

A man’s voice came through the other line, deep and a thick deep south accent. “Lydia Nichola?”

“Y-Yes? Who is this?” She was suspicious of anyone who called her and knew her name when she didn’t give them her number.

“Travis Stockham.” His voice, despite being a drawl from the deep south, was clipped and short. 

“You are Kara’s training officer, yes?” Lydia asked. 

“Yes. She’s spoken very highly of you, Lydia.” He paused, then spoke again. “When can you meet up with the troupe?”

It sounded amicable enough, but Lydia couldn’t help but leery of his words. “Well, my next day off is in three days.” She said. “I could meet you during the evening then? I sleep during the day because of my job.”

“And not because you’re a vampire?” Travis asked. There was steel in his tone.

“That too, but mostly because of my job. I can’t sacrifice sleep just to meet with you all. It would make it difficult for me to provide proper care to my patients.” She wasn’t sure why she was trying to explain herself to someone who had already passed judgement on her based on her species, but she found herself doing just that.

“Mm. We’ll be in contact. Save this number.” With that, he hung up the phone.

Lydia stared at her phone for a few moments, then saved his number under “Travis - Troupe Leader.” 

She then called Kara while she plucked a bag of blood from the fridge, pouring it into a wine glass. Kara picked up on the third ring.

“Hey, Lydia, what’s up?” Kara’s voice sent a warmth through Lydia’s body that she couldn’t explain. Maybe it was just the genuineness of her greeting, a warm welcome compared to the icy chills behind Travis’ voice. Yeah, that was it.

“I just got off the phone with Travis.” Lydia paused, thinking of the right words to use, and while she paused, Kara spoke.

“Yeah, he’s a little overwhelming at first, isn’t he?” Kara said.

“That’s one way of putting it.” Lydia laughed, a sound of relief.

Kara laughed, a light and melodic sound. “Yeah, he’s pretty prickly when you first meet him. But he’s really nice once you get him to warm up to you.”

It was Lydia’s turn to laugh. “I’ll take your word for it.”

There was a lull in their conversation, bringing them to what felt to Lydia like an awkward silence. She wasn’t fond of speaking on the phone. Speaking on the phone meant you could only hear the person talking. You couldn’t watch their body language, see their facial expressions. You could only hear tone, and tone was easy to feign.

So she chewed her lip, thinking, and eventually speaking. “So, he said that he’ll be in contact with me. Is that a good thing?”

“Oh yeah. It means he likes you.” Kara said. 

_I could have sworn differently,_ Lydia thought, but she kept that opinion to herself. Instead, she said, “Is that so?”

“Yeah! If he didn’t think you’d be a good fit, he would have said so. Travis is a really good judge of character.” Lydia could hear the smile and fondness in Kara’s voice.

“Is he special to you?” Lydia asked. _Shit. There I go again, blurting out whatever nonsense pops into my head._

“He’s like a big brother to me.” Kara said. “He’s very protective of me.”

“That’s how Lily was with me.” Lydia found herself, once again, sharing more than she wanted to. She paused, briefly wondering why this damnable woman had this effect on her, then brushed the thought away because she couldn’t afford to brood while on the phone. “Growing up, she was always the fighter. More outspoken and forward, a revolutionary woman who simply would not accept the notion that women were supposed to be inferior to men. She was a force to be reckoned with.” She smiled fondly at the memory of her sister.

“You really miss her, don’t you?” Kara asked.

“I do.” Lydia sighed. “She was my best friend.”

“Well, for the record, I think she’d be proud of you. You’re, what, six hundred some-odd years old, and you have kept your humanity. Still not killing anyone that you drink from - even go so far as to not drink from anyone at all, and taking up the fight to protect humans from the paranormal entities that hurt humans. That’s a noble cause, and from what you’ve told me of her, it sounds like she would support your decision.” Kara’s voice became a little muffled, as if she were moving around as she spoke.

Lydia strained her ears to hear what Kara was up to. Of course, it was completely out of curiosity. Though, admittedly, she was never taken up by the curiosity of what another person was up to before. Typically, she was just a “live and let live” kind of person. But there was _something_ about this woman that drove her to _live_ instead of _survive._ It was endearing.

Almost as though she could detect Lydia’s curiosity, Kara spoke up. “Sorry, I’m putting groceries away right now.”

“Should I let you go so you can do that more easily?” Lydia asked, suddenly self-conscious.

“I mean, you don’t _have_ to, but if you have things to do, you should probably do them. Travis said you have work for the next three days. So shouldn’t you be preparing for that?” There was a teasing tone to Kara’s voice that caused Lydia to smile. But she had a point. How long had they been conversing? 

Lydia glanced at the clock, and realized it was time to go. “Shit, you’re right.” She said a quick goodbye, then ended the call. Zooming around the house, she threw on her scrubs and left in a hectic flurry of shadows. 

She made it just in time, and spent a couple of minutes after clocking in fixing her disheveled hair as she walked to her office. When she made it there, she washed her hands idly. Nathan poked his head into her office, giving her a slight scare. 

“You’re normally here a little earlier than this, everything okay?” He said with a sly smirk.

“Oh, yeah. I was held up on the phone and lost track of time.” Lydia shrugged. 

“Ah, so you _do_ have friends.” He said in a way that showed he was clearly joking. Lydia shook her head, amused.

"Yes, Nathan, I have friends." She smiled to herself at the idea of considering Kara a friend.

"Or…. Is it more than that, judging by that smile?" Nathan teased.

"Don't you have other phlebotomists to pester?" Lydia quipped, a blush and a grin on her face.

“Aw, but you’re my favorite.” Nathan mock-pouted, then tapped the door frame, “Although, you do have a point….” He pulled his mask up and began muttering to himself about how it’s been a while since Natalie has been bothered as he walked away.

Lydia chuckled, shaking her head. _Kara, as more than a friend? She doesn’t like me like that, does she?_ Lydia thought. _Besides, a human and a vampire, genuinely in love - no Mistress/thrall relationship? That only happens in romance stories._ She snorted to herself and started on her paperwork.

Her shift passed slowly, and she had only a few patients that evening. She drew up one extra vial from each patient, as her stock at home was getting low, and pocketed them when she left the room and was out of sight of her patients. In between patients, she produced her bag, which she only brought when she needed to stock up on blood, and put the vials inside of it. It was insulated on the inside, and held an ice pack in the bottom to keep the blood cooled.

Eventually, her shift ended, and she grabbed her bag and went home, texting Kara that she was off of work and was on her way home. She decided to not stick to the shadows that morning, still taking her normal route, but this time walking in the pre-dawn light.

As she turned a corner, she heard the click of a gun. She glanced up from her daze, and noticed a desperate looking man pointing a pistol in shaking hands at her. She heard his heart beating fast in his chest with fear. 

“G-Give me your bag!” He practically shouted.

“Oh, this? Honey, you’re not going to like what’s inside of it.” She kept her voice low and calm, making eye contact and letting her vampiric charm seep through and take hold of him. 

“I won’t like what’s inside.” He lowered his gun slowly. 

“Now, tell me why you’re trying to mug me.” She stepped closer, taking the gun from his hands before he could notice, and disarmed it.

“I…. My wife left me the same week I got fired. She kicked me out, and moved my brother in. They’ve been having an affair for years.” He was speaking slowly, compelled to tell Lydia everything. “I have nothing, no money, no home, no food. I was desperate.”

Taking pity on him, Lydia pulled her wallet out from her pocket and gave him a twenty dollar bill. “Get yourself some food. There’s a shelter on Fifth and Pecan. They’ll help you get back on your feet.” 

He nodded slowly, his eyes wide when she handed him the money. “Thank you, miss.” 

She dropped the vampiric charm, letting him take in the situation. “They won’t let you take this into the shelter, so I’m going to keep it.” She tapped the gun in her hand.

“O-Okay….” He said, before pocketing the money. He sounded as if he were just waking up. Lydia had forgotten how it felt to charm someone, and a hunger pang hit her stomach. 

“I’m going to leave now, and I expect you to go to the shelter on Fifth and Pecan.” He nodded as she placed the gun inside of her purse, and sent him on his way. 

“Fifth and Pecan….” He gazed in the direction she gestured to, and then turned back to her. “Thank you for your kindness, miss. I…. I wasn’t myself.”

Lydia smiled kindly, thankful that he was simply human and that the charm worked. When he was out of sight, she looked around, and blended into the shadows, racing home.

As soon as she arrived, she unlocked the door, stepping into her house and locking the door behind her. She paused, listening. A heartbeat. She turned, and saw a man sitting in one of her chairs, obscured by the shadows. He was tall and lean. She flicked on the lights, and he showed no reaction. His brown hair was mussed from bedhead, and he wore a flannel tartan.

“Who are you.” Lydia demanded, her eyes narrowed.

“Is this how you greet all your guests?” When he spoke, she recognized his voice. It was Travis.

“How did you get in?” She asked warily. 

“I picked the lock, and locked the door behind me.” Travis shrugged.

“More importantly, how did you figure out where I live?” She was suddenly very aware of the gun in her bag. _But he’s like Kara’s big brother,_ she told herself. 

“When I called you, I was tracing it. It was a long shot.” He looked nonchalant, as if it were a normal thing to do.

Lydia was nonplussed. After regaining her composure, she finally asked, “Weren’t we supposed to meet on my day off?”

“I got impatient.” He said simply.

Lydia blinked and took a deep breath. “Alright. What did you want to talk about?” She decided she may as well act naturally, since he _so kindly_ invited himself in. She walked to the kitchen, forcing him to stand up from her chair and follow.

“First off, what is the nature of your relationship with Kara?” He crossed his arms. “She said you saved her life and speaks very highly of you.”

Lydia blinked, pausing while putting the vials into her fridge. “We’re just friends. I crashed into her, causing a concussion, and I felt responsible for her, so I took her home and patched her up, after that we became close friends.”

“And why did you crash into her? What were you running from?” He narrowed his eyes.

“I took back something that belonged to my sister, and the museum and authorities did not take kindly to that.” She decided to be blunt with him.

He nodded. “So you’re a thief.”

She was about to contest it, when she realized he had a point. “Not in habit.”

“And what if I were to turn you in to the authorities?” Travis asked. His dark brown eyes leveled Lydia, and she felt as if a weight were crushing her.

“Would you truly do something like that to someone who was taking back a family heirloom? Risk exposing the supernatural to the rest of the human world like that? And what about Kara? If she speaks so highly of me, that means she likes me, which means that turning me in to the authorities would hurt her feelings.” Lydia stood a little taller, feeling petulant.

Travis thought for a moment. “No. Since you haven’t been caught, that means you have skills. Skills that are needed in my troupe. And you are honest, if not slightly manipulative. I’m going to keep my eye on you, but you seem trustworthy enough.”

Before he could say more, Lydia’s phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket, and looked at the screen. “It’s Kara.” She answered, putting it on speaker. “Hey. Your big brother decided to pay me a visit.”

Kara paused, then said, “Travis, why didn’t you wait until she was off of work for the weekend?”

Travis had the gall to look ashamed. “I got tired of waiting.” He mumbled.

“Speak up, I couldn’t hear you.” Kara said.

“I go tired of waiting.” He said louder. 

Kara audibly sighed. “Impatient bastard.”

Lydia couldn’t help but snicker at Kara’s remark. Travis glared at Lydia, and her phone. 

“You speak so well of this vampire, I needed to see her for myself.” He continued as if Kara hadn’t just insulted him. 

“I’m right here.” Lydia said.

Kara spoke up. “Yeah, she’s right there. You shouldn’t talk about people like they’re not there.”

He mumbled an apology just loud enough for Kara to hear. She hummed in acknowledgement, and the melodic sound of it stirred something in Lydia’s chest. She could almost see the way Kara closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly when she hummed to show that she heard what was said.

Travis seemed to notice her reaction, but he said nothing of it. Instead, he said, “Would you like to formally join the troupe?”


	4. Chapter Four - Unforeseen Circumstances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia accepts Travis' formal invitation to the troupe. Kara asks her out to dinner, and then mysterious messages the next morning lead Lydia to Kara's apartment, where Lydia is faced with a tough decision.

There was silence. A deafening thing, so loud and overpowering that it caused Lydia’s ears to ring. 

_Did he really just ask that?_ She asked herself. Lydia’s eyes were wide, staring at Travis. 

“Well?” He asked.

Kara was silent on the other line, likely waiting for Lydia’s answer. 

Lydia drew in a deep breath, “I’m in. I want to protect this town and its people. I’m done with being a hermit.”

Travis looked pleased. He stepped closer to Lydia, holding his hand out for her to shake. She tentatively took his hand in hers, and shook it firmly.

“I am glad to have someone like you on our team.” He said as he released Lydia’s hand. 

_Well that was fast,_ she thought. On cue, Kara popped up on the line, “I told you he has a good sense of people.” Lydia could hear the smug smile that was on Kara’s face.

“I’m still here.” Travis said.

“I know.” Kara snickered. 

They went back and forth for a couple of minutes, quipping about this and that.

Lydia found herself smiling at their banter. She couldn’t help it, they were adorable. They definitely had the sibling dynamic that Kara had mentioned.

“What?” Travis asked when he saw Lydia’s face. “What’s so funny, Lydia?”

Kara began to have a fit of giggles.

“Oh. I just think that you two are amusing. I can’t wait to meet the rest of the group.” The smile remained on Lydia’s face.

Travis nodded, a look of understanding on his face. “I’m sure they’ll love you. Though, some of them may be wary of you at first, because you’re a vampire.”

“How come you’re not wary of me?” Lydia asked. 

Kara stopped giggling.

“Because I trust Kara’s judgement.” Travis said, his tone serious. “She has a gift for finding good people.” He leaned in close to Lydia, whispering in her ear so that Kara wouldn’t hear, “I pray that you do not break her trust.”

“Believe me when I say that I wouldn’t dream of it.” Lydia responded, her voice just as quiet as Travis’ had been.

“I can hear sounds, but not words. Are you two shit-talking me?” Kara asked from the phone.

“Totally. I’m telling Lydia about how you still sleep with stuffed animals.” Travis said, his tone much lighter than it was before. 

Kara yelled, “You told her _WHAT?”_ The volume almost blew out the speaker on Lydia’s phone, and her ears rang so loudly that her vision temporarily blurred. 

“Oh, woah, vampire ears, here.” Lydia said, rubbing at her temple with her free hand.

“Sorry.” Kara immediately dropped her volume level, though Lydia’s ears were still ringing.

“It’s okay.” Lydia turned to Travis, “I think I ought to go to sleep now. I hope I don’t wake up to any more surprise visitors.”

“Did he break into your house to recruit you? He has a habit of doing that, sorry. I should have warned you.” Kara said with a muffled groan.

Once again, Lydia could practically see Kara’s reaction. She imagined that Kara had put her palm to her face in annoyance, in the way only a family member could make one react.

“I’ll knock next time.” Travis said.

“Thank you.” Lydia replied. “I’m gonna let you go, Kara, so I can go to sleep.”

“Okay.” Was that a hint of dejection in Kara’s voice?

“I’ll see myself out.” Travis murmured, and slipped out of the doorway before Lydia could say goodbye.

“Oh, we…. We don’t have to get off the phone quite yet, I guess.” Lydia said as she locked the door again, doing the bolt on the door to keep out any more unwanted visitors. 

Kara made a noise that could almost be considered a squeal of glee, and Lydia’s heart leaped into her throat.

“That would be wonderful!” Kara exclaimed, “Because I have something to ask you that’s…. Well, it’s not related to the troupe at all.”

Lydia’s curiosity piqued. “What’s that?” 

“Uhm. Well, we’ve been talking a lot since we met, and you’ve taken such great care of me since we bumped into each other, and I wanted to repay you with dinner sometime.” There was an uncharacteristic nervousness that bled through Kara’s voice, and Lydia tried to imagine what expression she would be making. 

“I’d love to.” Lydia smiled softly. 

“Okay! What day works best for you?” Kara asked, sounding relieved that Lydia had said yes, in so many words.

“Well, I think on Saturday I’m meeting the troupe. So, Sunday?” Lydia replied. She held back a yawn, not wanting to express how tired she was even though there was a strong chance that Kara wouldn’t hear it.

“Sunday works wonderfully.” Kara practically hummed her reply, her voice smooth and melodic. She sounded like she was on Cloud Nine. They made idle conversation for the next half hour, talking about their days. Lydia asked how Bessie was doing, and Kara mentioned that the dog missed her. 

There was a brief lull in the conversation, and Kara spoke up again, “Well. I guess I’m going to let you get some sleep now. I have to take Bessie for her walk and meet up with the troupe.”

“I…. Alright.” Lydia tried to sound nonchalant, but let herself yawn. 

“I’ll see you on Saturday, if you don’t stop by before then.” There was a wistful note in her voice, like she wanted Lydia to do just that.

“I will see what I can do.” Lydia responded.

Kara giggled and said goodbye, and the two ended the call. 

Lydia flopped backwards onto her bed, gazing up at the ceiling. Whatever was going through her own head, she couldn’t even begin to express it. She was unsure of her own thoughts and feelings at this point.

Something about Kara, that damnable woman, put her all up in a tizzy. She made Lydia’s brain foggy, and her heart seize up. Lydia wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. She had never, in all her hundreds of years, felt this way before. Sure, there was the small bought of being twitterpated. The occasional, well, crush. But no one made her so…. So irrational. She couldn’t think right around Kara. Or maybe it wasn’t that she wasn’t thinking right? Maybe her mind had been more clear than ever before? Lydia wasn’t sure. But there was something there. _I think._

But perhaps not. She wasn’t sure. 

Eventually, sleep came. She wasn’t sure when it came, or how it came, but she blinked and suddenly she heard her alarm going off. Her sleep passed quickly, dreamlessly, and it was altogether uninspiring. She hadn’t even moved from her position on the bed, knees still hanging off the edge, phone in hand, still in her scrubs from the day before.

Lydia groaned, sitting up and turning off the alarm. She checked her phone, and saw that its battery was nearly empty. Swallowing a sigh of annoyance, she trudged to the kitchen, plugged in her phone, then went to take a shower and change into fresh scrubs. 

Her phone dinged maybe four or five times, then rang, while she was in the shower. Scrambling out of the shower, she grabbed her towel and didn’t bother drying off. Which was a mistake, as she slipped and fell right on the floor of the bathroom. After an agonizing second of laying on the ground, covered in soap and conditioner, she got up and limped to the kitchen.

The phone had since stopped ringing, but she saw a missed call from Kara, with no voice message.

She read the texts before calling back.

_“Hey, are you awake?”_

_“I need to talk to you about something.”_

_“Lydia?”_

_“Hello?”_

_1 missed call from Kara._

Lydia’s heart dropped. _What’s happening? Is she okay?_

Quickly, she called back. Each ring of the line made her heart sink further and further into her chest. Eventually, the line clicked on, but it went to voicemail. Lydia yanked her phone from the charger, grabbing her purse and rushing to get everything put in. She was half-way through unlocking the door when she realized she was still in her towel.

With a hefty sigh, she set the bag down and trudged back into her room, drying her hair as she went, and putting on a clean set of scrubs and grabbing a clean face mask. She slipped her shoes on, grabbed her bag, and was out the door.

Lydia didn’t even look around to make sure no one was watching when she blended into the shadows. Her mind was preoccupied with Kara, and whether or not she was okay. She zipped over to Kara’s apartment, not stepping out of the shadows until she reached the door, and found it unlocked. _That woman seriously needs to learn to lock her door._

Stepping inside the apartment was surreal. There was no friendly woof from Bessie. Instead, she felt the air vibrating with a deep, low, distant growl. Outside of that, it was near silent. There was a heartbeat that was unfamiliar, rapid and frightened.

Silently shutting the door behind her, Lydia slipped into the shadows again, gliding to the room where she felt the growls coming from. Kara was slumped against her bed, unconscious. And Bessie had…. Something. Pinned to the wall.

They weren’t quite human. They didn’t smell it, but they looked it - except that their features were a little too perfect. Their golden eyes were wide with horror, and they looked as though they were trying to meld into the wall. 

Faintly, Lydia heard Kara’s heartbeat. She rushed over to her, knowing Bessie had the situation handled, and shook Kara’s shoulder. 

“Kara? Kara! You’ve got to wake up!” The level of alarm in Lydia’s own voice startled her.

Kara groaned, but didn’t react otherwise.

Turning to the thing that Bessie had pinned to the wall, her anger flared, “What did you do to her?!” Looking closer at them, they had Kara’s face and shape. But the eyes…. The eyes were a dead giveaway. Anyone who knew Kara for more than ten seconds would know that it wasn’t her.

Not-Kara’s attention went from Bessie to Lydia, and a smile that would have been considered wicked had they not been trembling with fear filled their cheeks.

“I took her shape. Her memories. I had to see it for myself. The longer I’m in her body, the more her life form will deplete. There can be only one Kara, you know.” They chuckled, and when they did, Bessie snarled and snapped at them.

Unsure of what to do, Lydia produced her phone, calling Travis. He answered before the phone finished its first ring. 

“What’s up?” He asked in a bored tone.

“Something…. Kara…. Please help.” Anguish filled Lydia’s voice.

“Oh, it cares for the human? I could be that human. I will encompass her soon.” The thing mocked, and Bessie snapped at them again, growling louder. They squealed in fear.

“Kara’s place, or yours?” Travis asked.

“Kara’s.” After the name slipped from her tongue, Travis hung up the line. Lydia stood up, rage overcoming her fear of what may be happening to Kara.

“Did you send the messages?” She asked them.

“Of course I did. The little human was out walking this beast,” an angry, deafening bark echoed through the apartment, “And she left her phone at home, her door unlocked…. It was too easy.”

“Why?” Lydia demanded. The rage was having an unprecedented effect. The room was darkening with shadows, even though the light was on. Bessie became impossible to see, though the low hum of her growls told Lydia that she was exactly where she needed to be. “How can I save her?”

“You can’t. Unless you kill me. That’s how doppelgangers work, didn’t you know?” They tilted their head curiously, “How can someone as old as you not know about doppelgangers?” 

She had heard the term before, and she suddenly remembered that they could only be harmed by silver. That was the only thing she knew about them though. But, she thought that they were only a myth. _Although…. Vampires were supposed to only be a myth as well._ She looked around the room, and as her eyes zeroed in on a gun safe in the opened closet, the front door kicked open.

“Kara?! Kara! Where are you?” Travis’ voice called out. Bessie barked in response, and Lydia noticed that the doppelganger flinched every time Bessie barked. Their face was contorted into a perpetual wince, as Bessie never stopped growling.

Footsteps ushered in, more than one pair, and more than one heartbeat, as two others entered the room with Travis. 

“What the fuck is going on here?” Travis demanded as he entered the room, seeing the unconscious Kara and the doppelganger pinned to the wall by an angry Bessie. 

“It’s a doppelganger.” Lydia said. “It took Kara’s form, and lured me here while Kara was walking Bessie.” Seeing Travis made Lydia calm down enough that the shadows faded. It forced her to take in the rest of the room. Kara’s bedroom door was hanging by one hinge, the footboard of her bed cracked from where she landed against it, stuffed animals strewn about the room. “Judging by the looks of things, Kara put up a strong fight. But….” Lydia’s voice trailed off, and her eyes pricked with the threat of tears that wouldn’t come. “I don’t know how long she’s got.”

Travis unholstered a gun from his hip, handing it to Lydia. “You know how to shoot, right? You found this monster, you don’t know the code to Kara’s gun safe, and you’re the one who found her.” 

Lydia heard the doppelganger’s heart freeze as a surge of fear swept through their body. They shoved Bessie hard enough that she ragdolled across the room, landing with a sharp yelp against the wardrobe, cracking it. 

Before Lydia could react, the doppelganger pinned Lydia against the wall, cupping her chin with one hand, speaking in a low, frantic tone and a manic smile. “She likes you, you know. She fantasizes about you. I could act those fantasies out on you instead. I could be her, if you only let me.” 

Lydia faded into the shadow cast from the wardrobe, reappearing on the other side of the room, the gun that Travis gave her aimed at the doppelganger. “You’ll never be Kara.” The cool steel of the gun gave her resolve, and she quickly flipped up the safety and pulled the trigger.

There was a muffled bang as the bullet raced through the silencer at the end of the gun, and pierced the heart of the doppelganger. They shrieked, collapsing into a pile of repulsive-smelling puddle of goop on the floor.

At the same time, Kara gasped loudly. Lydia was by her side in an instant, Travis on the other side.

“Guys, a…. A…. What the hell is that smell?” Weakly, she tried to turn her head away from the smell of the dead doppelganger.

“She’ll be alright.” Travis said to Lydia, looking in her eyes as he spoke. He then turned his head to the two that came in with him, “Kevin, Sara, get Bessie to a vet now. Tell them she got hit by a car or something.”

They nodded, and Lydia actually noticed them enough to take in their appearances. Kevin was a very tall, thin man with long, blond hair and steely blue eyes. Sara was tall as well, but not quite as tall as Kevin, with voluptuous curves and a bright red undercut. Her eyes were a light brown that would shine gold under the sun, but not in the same way that the doppelganger’s had. The pair walked over to Bessie, murmuring words of reassurance, and picked her up carefully.

Bessie whined in protest, but didn’t try to move. Her cool, brown eyes were fixed on Lydia and Kara, even as she was carried out of the room, and out of the apartment. Lydia found herself thanking the fact that Kara lived on the ground level, for Bessie’s sake.

Lydia turned to Kara when Bessie was out of sight, and gently turned Kara’s head to face hers. “Are you sure you’re alright?” She peered into those emerald green eyes, unsure of what the answer would be.

“Y-Yeah. I just,.... I need some time to recuperate.” Kara said weakly.

As Lydia was pulling away, Kara’s hand reached up and lightly grabbed her wrist. “Stay like this, please.”

Lydia glanced over to Travis, who nodded and left the room. She heard him rummaging around in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Kara adjusted slowly and slightly enough that she was cuddled against Lydia. 

Not knowing what else to do, and overwhelmed with relief that Kara was okay, Lydia’s hands found their way to Kara’s hair, fingers combing through it and lightly undoing the tangles. She glanced up as Travis returned to the room, gloves on his hands, with a trash bag in one hand and a roll of paper towels in the other. He began silently cleaning up the mess while Lydia held Kara.

Lydia’s phone began to ring, and she quickly answered it. Before she could so much as say hello, Nathan’s voice came through the line. “Lydia, you were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. Is everything okay?”

“No, an unprecedented emergency came up. I won’t be able to make it in tonight.” Lydia said quietly, glancing down at Kara, who had fallen asleep with her head on Lydia’s chest and was snoring softly.

“Is everything okay? Are you safe?” When his voice first came through the line, he sounded angry. But with these questions, his voice softened and concern came through. 

“Things will be okay, I’m just shaken up. I won’t be able to perform well tonight.” She kept her voice low, so as to not wake Kara.

“Okay. Please stay safe. Goodbye, Lydia.” Nathan didn’t pry further, though he did hesitate on his words, as if he wanted to.

“Goodbye, Nathan.” She said, then hung up.

“Who’s Nathan?” Travis asked quietly. 

“He’s my supervisor at the hospital, Dr. Nathan Daniels.” Lydia replied softly. She put her phone away, and idly wrapped her arm around Kara, watching Travis clean in the reflection of Kara’s vanity.

About twenty minutes later, Kevin and Sara returned, dogless. Lydia's heart sank.

“Bessie is in emergency care. She’ll be ready to go in two hours, she just has a dislocated shoulder and hip.” Kevin said.

Lydia sighed in relief.

Sara leveled Lydia with cold, amber eyes, then looked to Travis as he cleaned. “So, Travis.”

He glanced up from his goop-scooping, “Yes, Sara?”

“Can you tell me why the fuck we’re working with a goddamned vampire?”


	5. Chapter Five - The Outcast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confusion ensues after Sara demands why Travis is allowing a vampire into the troupe, and Lydia finds out that the doppelganger had been posing as Kara for longer than she thought.

The question hung in the air, heavy as the putrid smell of rotting flesh that came from the dead doppelganger. It was asked loudly, and Kara stirred in Lydia’s arms, blinking slowly at Sara. 

"Hunh?" Kara asked, confused. "What do you mean by that...?"

Lydia was too bewildered to answer. She had been warned that some of the troupe would need to get used to her, and would be wary of her, but she couldn't wrap her head around why it was put so coldly. 

"I mean, why is there a fucking _bloodsucker_ in our troupe now?" Sara glared at Travis. "Have you lost your goddamn mind? Or do you think this is some kind of sick game? Did Kara put you up to this? They're murderers, all of them-"

"Excuse me, I am right here." Lydia calmly spoke up. She drew in a deep breath. "And the only person I have ever killed so far is being scooped into a garbage bag right now. I think after almost six-hundred years, killing one doppelganger should speak volumes of my character."

"Shut up. You're lying." Sara hissed.

Lydia closed her eyes, subconsciously pulling Kara tighter to her. "Whatever makes you happy, Miss Sara."

"Let go of Kara." Sara suddenly said. "I will not allow my friend to be touched by scum like you."

Kara had been slowly growing more and more awake as the situation escalated, and at this, she suddenly said, "Stop it. She's saved my life…. Twice now." She spoke with more conviction than her body language could convey.

Sara stopped. She glared daggers at Kara, turned on her heel, and left, slamming the front door shut behind her. 

"You'll…. Have to excuse Sara. She has…. A history with vampires." Kara said drowsily.

"Hey, don't go giving out backstory without people's consent." Travis said quickly.

Kevin had somehow managed to sneak out of the room and back in without Lydia noticing, until she heard the snap of rubber gloves being put on. He knelt on the ground on the opposite side of Travis and the pile of goop, and began to help him clean up the mess. He didn't say a word.

"I kind of gathered that she has a history. Hopefully she warms up to me instead of killing me." Lydia half joked, half mused. 

"She might. Just give her time." Kevin said. 

"Might what? Kill me, or warm up to me?" Lydia asked.

"Yes." He smirked at Lydia. She realized he was messing with her, and let out a dry laugh.

"So…. Just how many more members of the troupe are going to want to see me staked?" Lydia turned to Travis with her question. 

Travis mulled over the question, letting out a low hum while focusing on scrubbing the doppelganger goop out of the carpet.

“Well?” Lydia prompted him. 

He turned to her, “Probably Patrice.” 

“Patrice?” Lydia asked.

Kevin coughed into his elbow nonchalantly. 

“Yeah, Patrice. She hates the living shit out of vampires just as much as Sara does.” Travis shrugged, “But you’re good people, I’m sure you’ll be able to win them over in no time.”

“What makes you say that?” Lydia asked. She heard a soft snore, and looked down to see that Kara had fallen back to sleep on her chest again.

Travis made a point of looking between Lydia and Kara, his eyebrow raised, as if to say _“Do I really have to say it?”_

The realization hit Lydia like a bucket of water. “Oh. Because Kara trusts me?”

Travis nodded, still scrubbing the goop out of the carpet, and Lydia looked down at Kara. Her lilac hair had fallen into her delicate face, and it took every ounce of self restraint for Lydia to not reach up and brush it behind her ear. 

“So, Lydia, is it?” Kevin asked.

“Yeah?” Lydia responded with a blush, feeling sheepish that she had just gotten caught staring at Kara.

“Are you gonna sit there cuddling your new girlfriend all night, or are you going to come help clean up the mess that _you_ made?” Kevin gave a playful smirk to indicate that he was just messing around with Lydia. It put her at ease.

She nodded, and gently leaned forward, slipping an arm underneath Kara’s legs and pulling her closer. Lydia then stood up, and carried Kara to her bed, laying her in it and tucking her under the sheets.

Kara mumbled something incoherent in her sleep, and flipped over to her side, latching onto one of the pillows on her bed and tugging it close. Lydia smiled as she turned away from the bed, walking to the kitchen and rooting around for the gloves. _Maybe that scrub brush would be useful, too, for getting the rest of the goop out of the carpet?_ She wondered.

Lydia grabbed a large bowl, filled it with hot water with a splash of dish soap, and grabbed the scrub brush she saw under the sink when she was grabbing a pair of gloves, along with a second trash bag.

The lingering smell assaulted her nose as she walked back into Kara’s bedroom. She gingerly set the bowl and brush down, sitting between Travis and Kevin and dipping the brush into the water. Most of the goop had been scooped up and put into the trash bag, all that remained was the bits they were trying to scrub out of the carpet with paper towels. She put the brush to the carpet, and began scrubbing vigorously.

Dip, scrub, dip, scrub, dip, scrub. How the boys hadn’t retched yet was incredible, as the smell was that agonizing. If Lydia had more blood in her system, she probably would have puked thrice over by now. 

Roughly five minutes passed, Lydia, Kevin, and Travis silently working alongside each other to clean the carpet. Eventually it was time to put the garbage bag of goop into another garbage bag, and Lydia threw in the scrub brush. There was no salvaging it after what she put it through, and she made note to buy a new one for Kara when she could.

“Thanks for the help, even if you did spend most of your time cuddling with Kara instead.” Kevin said, a playful smirk on his face.

“I…. I didn’t want to wake her.” Lydia admitted. Travis groaned, and Kevin chuckled.

"Trust me, bud. We've all been there at some point or another." Kevin kept his voice low so as to not wake Kara.

"What do you mean by that?" Lydia tilted her head to the side slightly.

"I mean, we've all been so enamored with someone that we can't help but stay by their side." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Hell, mine turned into my best friend. But with you two, there's something different about it. She's never spoken so highly of anyone, let alone a vampire."

Lydia turned her head and looked at Kara. She was still wrapped around her pillow, her heart rate slow and relaxed as she slept. Even from the other side of the room, Lydia could pick up the soft snore. She felt bad talking about Kara while she slept.

As Lydia looked back to Kara, she heard Travis growl, _"Backstory, Kevin…."_

This pulled Lydia back to reality. She turned her gaze back to the two men that came to her assistance.

“So, tell me, do doppelgangers normally target hunters?” Lydia asked after the trio had settled in Kara’s living room. It was clear that not one of them had the intention of leaving her while she slept. Especially without Bessie.

“Doppelgangers? Yeah. They take over the hunter’s mind and soul, and leave them a hollow husk of what they used to be. But Kara will be okay. This isn’t the first time she’s been targeted by a doppelganger. She just needs to sleep it off. She’s a witch, she’ll be okay.” Kevin said.

“She’s…. A witch?” Lydia asked. "Like, a real, genuine witch? Not just a human who calls herself one?"

"A bona-fide witch." Travis leaned back into the couch, crossing his fingers behind his head. "Gotta say, it's real nice having one on the team."

Lydia leaned back. How long had it been since she last encountered a true witch? Most of them had been hung in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. That any were still around…. It was astonishing.

"Does she…. Does she know?" Lydia asked, unsure of the answer but still feeling like it was a dumb question.

"Of course she knows." Travis responded.

"Most witches come into their own, and realize it by adolescence." Kevin mused. He was lazily sprawled out on the other side of Lydia, his head leaning off the back of the couch.

"How many are there now?" Lydia asked.

"Oh, probably a few thousand. They hide among the pagans and new age folk to keep out of sight. Witches are physically indistinguishable from humans. They just have a little extra oomph.” Travis said. He gave Lydia a sidelong glance, “She will be okay, I promise. She just needs to sleep it off. It will just take a while because she has never come this close to being taken over by a doppelganger before. It’s lucky that you came along when you did. That damned thing must have been tracking her for weeks.” 

Lydia didn’t realize she was shaking until Travis pulled his hands out from behind his head and placed one on her shoulder. 

“I promise you, Lydia.” His touch forced her to look into his dark brown eyes. 

She nodded, not feeling entirely reassured. Knowing that it was because of her, again, that Kara was even still alive was…. Harrowing. And if it had been tracking her for weeks…. Lydia wasn’t sure what conclusion to make, and for all she knew, it could be the wrong one. So she took a steadying breath, and tried to calm down. 

“How often has this happened?” She asked suddenly.

Kevin chuckled and Travis calmly responded, “Fairly often. She puts herself in the most danger, and tries her hardest to overcome everything, and has made herself somewhat of a target, with a lot of enemies, in the paranormal world. But it’s not just doppelgangers, sometimes it’s a demonic possession, or a haunting from a vengeful spirit. Other times it’s an abduction by vampires or werewolves….” Seeing the look of horror on Lydia’s face, he trailed off. “But, she can handle herself most of the time. She rarely needs saving, and we’re lucky that the doppelganger reached out to you to try to lure you in before taking over her entirely.”

“To lure me in?” Lydia repeated numbly.

“Yes, to take you as their mate, and absorb you, much the same way an angler fish absorbs the male. But, in this case, a doppelganger does not need someone of the opposite sex. They have no sexes, so they can mate with anyone with no qualms.” Travis continued. 

“That’s why the doppelganger was so…. Fervent towards me.” Lydia turned her eyes to the ground at her feet. 

“Well,” Kevin started, “That, and whatever feelings that someone has for another person are heightened by the doppelganger’s increased hormone production.”

“Can they lie?” Lydia asked, thinking about what the doppelganger had said. _She likes you, you know . . . . I could be her, if you only let me._

“They _can_ but they prefer to exaggerate the truth. Why?” Kevin asked. 

“Because the doppelganger said…. Something. That Kara liked me, and that it could be her, if I only let it.” Lydia admitted. 

Kevin and Travis both scoffed.

“Of course Kara likes you.” Kevin said. “She wouldn’t have been so adamant about you joining the troupe if she didn’t.”

“Plus, if she didn’t like you, she would actually shut up about you.” Travis added. Lydia winced at the way he said it. Travis, upon noticing this, quickly added, “No offense to you. You’re pretty decent.” He smiled kindly at Lydia. 

Lydia smiled back. Travis patted her knee, realizing that his hand was still there, then moved his hand back to his lap. 

“So, how do I convince Sara that I’m not a spy? And Patrice, for that matter?” Lydia asked. 

“Honestly, that’s just something that will have to come with time.” Kevin said. 

“Yeah. They’ll just need time to see you for who you truly are.” Travis said. The door opened as he spoke, and someone slipped in almost unnoticed. Lydia didn’t see who it was, but she idly made note of it.

“So, saving Kara’s life an hour ago wasn’t enough to prove myself?” Lydia sighed.

“Nothing you do will ever be good enough to prove that you’re anything less than a bloodsucker.” Sara’s voice came from the other side of the room. 

Lydia turned and looked at her, “If it weren’t for me, Kara would be dead and she’d have been replaced by a doppelganger.”

“If it weren’t for you, she may not have gotten taken over by one in the first place.” Sara narrowed her amber eyes.

“That’s not how that works, and you know it.” Kevin said, “You’re being irrational.”

“Kev, buddy, does it matter? Is she using her vampiric charm on you?” Sara said, her voice condescending. 

Kevin shrugged. “She doesn’t have to. I judge all living things by their actions, not their race or species.”

“You know, you may be my best friend, but sometimes you’re just stupid. You know what happened.” Sara said.

“And how am _I_ to fault for that?” Lydia asked.

“You exist.” Sara sneered, “Your people drained my entire family of their blood, right before my eyes, when I was just a child.” 

“You’re, what? Thirty years old?” Lydia stood up, livid. “Do you want to know what I was doing thirty years ago?”

“No, but I suppose you’re going to tell me anyway.” Sara rolled her eyes.

“You’re right, I am. Thirty years ago, I was hiding out in a cave in the mountains because hunters chased me from my home. I was living a solitary, quiet life. I wasn’t hurting anyone. I never have.”

“What about when you were first turned? All vampires kill when they’re first turned. It’s a known fact.” Sara placed her hands on her hips, looking at Lydia with a smug smirk on her face.

“No. I had my sister when I was first turned, and she kept me from killing, just as I kept her from killing. The men who turned us left us to our own devices, expecting the worst to happen. What they didn’t know was that my sister was versed in vampire mythos. I was not. So she explained what would happen to us, as our hunger burned and grew, and we decided on a plan of action.” 

Sara scoffed. “I’m going to go check on Kara, and then I’m going to go pick up Bessie.” 

“Let me come with you. Bessie likes me.” Lydia suggested.

“Ugh. No. She only likes you because you’re a filthy bloodsucker. You’re a shitty liar, by the way.” With that, Sara turned, and stormed away. 

_But I never lied...._ Thought Lydia.

There was silence, except for the sound of four heartbeats - Kara’s slow and steady with sleep, Sara’s elevated with irritation, Travis and Kevin’s elevated with anticipation and worry. And the rush of blood in her ears.

Then she heard it, quiet and soft as if she was trying not to be heard, “Please, Kara, wake up.” Sara’s voice cracked as she whispered. Lydia had to strain her ears to hear. “If you don’t wake up, I’ll never get the chance to tell you how much I love you.”

So that was it. Lydia’s heart plummeted. Until she heard Kara’s voice, soft and low with sleep, “Lydia?” 

Sara gasped loud enough for Travis and and Kevin to hear, and she burst out of Kara’s room, charging straight towards Lydia. She leaped over the edge of the couch, essentially cartwheeling over the space between Kevin and Lydia, and grabbed Lydia by the front of her shirt, jerking her up so that they were eye level, just centimeters between their faces. 

“What. Did. You. Do. To. Kara.” She demanded in a low growl. “I know you did something. There is no reason for this.”

“I haven’t done anything but take care of her wound and be a friend to her.” Lydia said. Sara yanked her closer, so their noses were touching. 

“Bullshit. She said your name in her sleep. You have to have turned her into a thrall.” Her eyebrows were knit tightly together.

Lydia’s toes were barely touching the floor. She reached up and pulled her shirt out of Sara’s grasp, dropping to her feet. “That’s not how enthrallment works, and you know it. Now, if you have something to say, say it. I know this is about more than just me being a vampire.”

Sara growled something incomprehensible, and left again.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Kevin spoke up. “She’s in love with Kara, but Kara’s never returned her feelings, so she’s never said anything about it.”

“Kevin, backstory.” Travis said.

“No, dude, Sara’s never going to admit it, especially not to Lydia.” Kevin leaned forward and made eye contact with Travis, then leaned back and looked at Lydia, who had yet to sit back down. “Sara’s entire family was killed by vampires when she was like eight years old, as she already mentioned to you. She’s hated vampires since then, and likely feels like you’re stealing Kara from her - when she’s never done anything to try to win Kara’s heart over.”

Travis grumbled, leaning back against the couch and crossing his arms. “No one listens to me.”

Like clockwork, both Lydia and Kevin disregarded what Travis had said, and Lydia asked, “So…. She wants to be in a relationship with Kara?”

“Yeah.” Kevin said.

“Who wants to be in a relationship with me?” Kara asked groggily, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand from the hallway entrance. 

“Oh, umm. No one.” Kevin quickly said, crossing his hands back and forth in the air. “Different Kara. We’re talking about a soap opera that we’re watching.”

“....The TV isn’t even on.” Kara pointed out.

Lydia blinked, and crossed the room, moving slowly toward Kara. When she got within arm’s reach, she placed her hands on Kara’s shoulders, “Are you feeling better?”

“Worlds, but I’m still pretty out of it.” Kara said softly. Her wide, green eyes met Lydia’s. Her lilac hair was disheveled from sleep, and it took all of Lydia’s willpower to not reach up and smooth it down. 

“Well, you did almost get taken over by a doppelganger three days after getting a concussion.” Lydia said, “You haven’t exactly gotten a break since I met you.” 

Kara smiled, her gentle, genuine nature showing through it. “You’re right. But it’s worth it.” Her smile turned more playful, and she opened her mouth to say something else before she noticed Travis and Kevin in the room. “Hey, boys. Where’d Sara go?”

“Presumably to brood and pick up Bessie.” Kevin said. When Lydia turned to look at the pair, Travis was pretending to be immersed in his nail hygiene, while Kevin was turned backwards on the couch, propped up on his elbows and watching Lydia and Kara closely. “Travis, you never mentioned how cute they are together.” 

Travis shrugged, “I didn’t find it to be a point of importance. This isn’t a dating getup.”

Lydia flushed from head to shoulders. Kara simply giggled. 

“Harris will beg to differ.” Kevin chuckled. “He’s gonna be _all over_ you. He’s like a dog, we can’t take him anywhere near vampires.” 

Like clockwork, a knock came at the door. Kevin turned his head to the door and hollered, “It’s open!” and in stepped two people; one, a man with brown hair and a bleach blonde streak through the middle of his hair, who stood at a fairly average height, and the second a taller woman with a look of perpetual annoyance on her face, with wild black curls, intense dark brown eyes, and ebony skin. She wasn’t quite as tall as Sara, but nearly there. She ignored Lydia’s presence and made a beeline for Kara.

“Oh, honey, I heard what happened. Are you okay?” She all but shoved Lydia out of the way. The man hung back, but was still closer than Lydia would like. 

“Patrice and I came as fast as we could.” He said. He then turned to Lydia, “So you’re our resident vampire, huh?” He made uncomfortably prominent eye contact, winked at her, and made a finger gun, “If you ever want to, ah,--”

“That’s enough, Harris.” Patrice snapped, shooting Lydia a glare. “You fucking horndog. Stay away from the bloodsucker.” 

“But, but….” Harris was already being dragged away by Patrice. Lydia blinked a few times in disbelief, then turned back to Kara.

“So…. Are we still on for dinner on Sunday?” Lydia said in a low enough voice that only Kara could hear.

Kara gave Lydia a perplexed look. “What do you mean?”

“Did you not ask me out to dinner on Sunday?” Lydia asked, concerned.

“I mean…. I’d love to go, if you’re offering, but I didn’t ask you, no. The doppelganger attacked me last night while you were at work. It was more powerful than most doppelgangers I’ve encountered. It was resistant to every spell I could safely try.”

“That doesn’t line up with what it said…. It said that it snuck in while you were walking Bessie, and sent me these messages, and this phone call….” Lydia pulled out her phone, showing the messages she’d received prior. “So, that wasn’t you on the phone this morning…?” 

“No. It’s true that it happened when I was out walking Bessie, but, Lydia, these things…. They lie sometimes. Usually they just stretch the truth, but they can outright lie.” Kara’s face turned sympathetic. “It likely became impatient to mate with you when it was made aware that it’d be entering a room full of hunters.”

Lydia broke eye contact, her gaze slipping to the wall behind Kara. “The doppelganger said…. Nevermind. It was probably just another lie.” Lydia gave a sad smile. It said that you liked me. “You need something to eat. What can I make for you?”

“I can make it myself, silly.” Kara giggled. It filled Lydia’s chest with hope. 

“Yes, but you should rest some more. Go sit with Travis and Kevin, I’ll make you something.” Lydia took Kara’s hand in hers, and guided her to the couch, gently pushing her into the seat she’d taken just ten minutes prior. She ignored the dirty look from Patrice, and pretended that she didn’t notice Harris checking out her ass as she bent over to press Kara fully into the seat of the couch.

She turned and began to rummage around in the kitchen, and found all the ingredients for banana bread. She preheated the oven, and mixed the ingredients together. She listened in on the conversation that Kara was having with the troupe members. 

“. . . . and I had a concussion with an open wound. She carried me home, and nursed my wound.” Kara was recounting the night that they met.

“And that bloodsucker didn’t drink from you?!” Patrice exclaimed, loudly enough for Lydia to hear even without her sensitive ears. 

“Don’t call her that! She’s a person, just as you and I are.” Kara said. “She’s kind, sweet, funny, and loyal. She has resolve, and….” She trailed off, “Where are you going, Travis?”

“Oh, I’m just going to keep Lydia some company while she bakes for you. Keep talking with Patrice.” Lydia could hear the smile in his voice, and a soft scratching noise, which told Lydia that he was ruffling Kara’s hair.

Lydia backed up against the cabinets while she waited for the banana bread to bake, giving a light jump and sitting up on top of the counter as Travis rounded the corner.

“Smells like banana bread, right?” Travis leaned against the entryway, watching Lydia.

“Yeah. I figured that it would be nice to have something to share with everyone.” She responded. Then she looked at Travis. “The doppelganger lied about when it took over Kara. When we were on the phone this morning, it had already taken her.”

Travis’ eyes widened. “She survived that long…?” He threw a quick glance over to Kara. “How did you find this out?”

“The doppelganger, while posing as Kara, asked me out to dinner on Sunday. I didn’t know that it wasn’t Kara, and so I asked her if we were still open for dinner then. She didn’t know what I was talking about.” Lydia hung her head in shame. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it happening. I should have known.”

“Hey. Don’t beat yourself up.” Travis stepped further into the kitchen, placing a hand on Lydia’s shoulder. “The point of the doppelganger taking over someone is that it’s flawless. That’s why the only giveaway is their eyes. I didn’t know either, but you don’t see me beating myself up, do you? And I’ve known Kara for twelve years.” 

Lydia looked up into his intense, brown gaze and nodded. “I’ll try. It’s just….”

“I know. You care. That’s one of the things that she has emphasized about you, that you have a big heart. But you stopped it before it was too late. You _saved her life._ She’s not gone, she’s right there, in the living room.” He paused for emphasis.

“. . . . and I don’t want to hear you calling her that, Patrice. She’s saved my life twice now.” Kara sounded heated. 

“Come on, Patrice. Not every vampire is bad.” Harris’ voice carried over to the kitchen. 

“You just say that because you have a fetish.” Patrice snapped.

“But he’s got a point.” Kara said.

“Ugh. I can’t believe either of you right now. I’m going to go back home.” Patrice’s voice sounded like she was moving. 

“Come on, don’t be like that.” Harris said.

“Oh, I’m being like that.” Patrice made a point of not looking into the kitchen as she left. “Bye, Travis.”

The door closed behind Patrice as Travis lifted his hand in a small wave. “Bye, Patrice. See you tomorrow.”

“Will she be able to tolerate seeing me tomorrow?” Lydia asked, “Moreover, will Sara be able to tolerate seeing me tomorrow?”

“Of the two, I can’t tell who hates you more right now.” Travis said.

“Well, Patrice seems to hate me on principle. But with Sara, it’s entirely different. It’s principle and personal, like Kevin said.” Lydia kept her voice low, now that most of the conversation had died down.

Before Travis could say anything, the oven beeped. Lydia slipped off the counter, opening the oven door and pulled out the banana bread. 

She waited a few minutes in silence, letting the bread settle. 

As she waited, she heard the chatter. 

“Patrice will calm down eventually. I mean, she accepted me, a literal werewolf, right?” Harris mused.

“Yeah. It’s Sara I’m worried about.” Kara said. “She’s…. Really got a thing against vampires.”

“I mean, so does Patrice.” Kevin chimed in.

“Yeah. But Patrice hates almost everything paranormal.” Kara sighed in annoyance. “I mean, she even hated me at first.” 

Lydia leaned over the oven, sniffing at the banana bread. “Alright. It smells about done.” She grabbed a towel, wrapped it around the handle of one of the knives from the rack, and cut out four slices of the bread. Lydia put the slices onto plates, and called out, “Banana bread’s ready!” And picked up one of the plates, taking it out to Kara. “Here you go, ma’am. One thick slice of banana bread, to sate your palate.” 

She grabbed a chair from the table, and pulled it out, sitting in it backwards, crossing her arms over the top of the back of the chair and resting her chin on her forearms. 

Kara looked over to Lydia, a soft smile on her face. “I didn’t know you baked.” 

“Well, when you’ve been around for almost six hundred years, you learn a thing or two.” Lydia beamed. “Plus, you didn’t have enough eggs for everyone.” 

The front door opened again, and in came Sara with Bessie. Bessie was limping, and looked completely out of it. She hesitated at the entryway, sniffing the air, then hobbled over to Lydia.

“Wow, not even going to come to your own mother first? Rude.” Kara laughed, music to Lydia’s ears. 

“I don’t know, I find it sweet.” Lydia reached an arm down, gently scratching the top of Bessie’s head, looking down at the large, fluffy dog. 

“Okay,” Harris said, “I think I need to marry you now. This is the best banana bread I’ve had in my life.” 

“No, I call dibs.” Kevin said. 

“I think Kara has first dibs.” Travis said, looking at Kara pointedly.

“You’re right, Travis. I call dibs. I found her first.” Kara smiled over to Lydia, who flushed bright red.

Steam may as well have been coming out of her ears, but she garnered her confidence. “So, Kara….” _If I don’t do it now, I never will._

“Yes, Lydia, maker of excellent bread, slayer of doppelgangers, savior of my life?” Kara giggled.

Lydia’s heart seized up in her chest, and she took a deep breath, “You said you would love to go to dinner if I was offering?”

Kara nodded, her green eyes wide, and her lilac hair still wild from sleep. The golden glow of the light bounced off the individual strands, giving her an ethereal appearance. “Yes?”

“Would you, maybe, like to go out to dinner on Sunday, then?” Lydia asked.


	6. Chapter Six - The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia prepares for her meeting with the rest of the troupe, and frets over her growing feelings for Kara. 
> 
> (Sorry for taking so long to upload this chapter! Life kind of got in the way!)

Kevin whooped. “She finally asks!” 

Sara slipped out the door, unnoticed. 

Kara almost choked on her banana bread, and patted at her chest with her fist, finally swallowing the bite that had lodged itself in her throat. “I’d love to. And this time, I won’t get possessed by a doppelganger.” She smiled at Lydia, genuine excitement shining through her emerald green eyes. 

Lydia heaved a sigh of relief, letting her arms hang off the back of the chair and resting her chin on the top. 

“Oh.” Harris said in a whisper to Travis, “Is she lesbian? Does this mean I don’t have a chance?” 

“If you have to ask, you already know the answer.” Travis said.

“Why can’t I have a cute vampire girlfriend? I’m a good boy.” Harris mock pouted.

Even though the exchange was quiet enough that Kara didn’t hear, Lydia could and she stifled a giggle. 

“What’s so funny, Lydia?” Kara asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Oh, I heard _everything_ that Harris just said to Travis.” Lydia said.

“What? I didn’t hear anything.” Kara looked confused, until she realized, “Oh. They were trying to be quiet, weren’t they?”

Lydia nodded, stifling another giggle. Harris looked horrified, and Travis and Kevin looked amused. Kara patted the empty seat next to her, since Harris was on the opposite side of the room.

She got up and walked to the seat, plopping down next to Kara, who leaned her head on Lydia’s shoulder.

“I never got the chance to thank you for what you did.” Kara said softly. 

Lydia felt the couch’s weight adjust as Kevin got up and joined the boys by the kitchen. 

“It wasn’t much. Just a bullet. Bessie did most of the work.” Lydia responded as Bessie ambled over and flopped down by their feet with a grunt. 

“No, but I heard everything.” Kara yawned as she spoke, and began to drift off again. “So, thank you.”  
Lydia’s leg began to bounce subconsciously, and she tossed a worried glance to the boys. She mouthed, “Is this normal?”

Travis nodded and gestured to the bedroom with his chin. Lydia nodded and gathered Kara up in her arms.

“Let’s get you to your room, Kara.” She said.

Kara protested weakly, “No. I wanna stay here.” Her voice was soft and she sounded sad, but she didn’t move to try to get out of Lydia’s grasp.

As Lydia passed the boys, they all said quiet goodbyes, and filed out the front door. She nodded a farewell to each of them, feeling a small sense of camaraderie. She hoped it would last.

When Lydia laid Kara back into her bed, Kara’s hand latched onto her wrist and, with a surprising amount of strength, yanked Lydia onto the bed. Kara’s arms circled around her, and she flipped the two of them over onto their sides, pulling Lydia fully on the bed instead of having her legs hanging off the side.

She struggled against Kara’s grasp, not sure how Kara would react to this situation when she awoke, but Kara was surprisingly strong and Lydia didn’t want to hurt her to escape. So she resigned herself to her fate, which was not entirely a bad thing, and let herself relax.

Lydia heard a soft click, a huffing noise, then a few moments later she saw the top of Bessie’s head meander into the room, and Bessie flopped down at the edge of the bed with yet another grunt. 

“Bessie, did you lock the door?” Lydia asked in a stage whisper. Kara snuggled closer to Lydia in response to hearing her voice. 

Bessie gave a soft woof in response. Lydia took that to mean “Yes” and let her eyes close. She was surprisingly tired after the events that had happened. She couldn’t believe it had been close to five hours since she read the text messages that led her to saving Kara from a doppelganger. 

A knock at the door jolted Lydia awake. She went to rub her eyes, and found that Kara was still wrapped around her, snoring. She wriggled an arm free to pry Kara’s arms from around her, then walked over to the door. Glancing through the peephole, she saw someone she didn’t recognize. 

Cautiously, she opened the door. “Hello?”

“You must be Lydia. I’m here to see Kara.” The person, short and a little on the stout side, with a cropped auburn undercut and pale blue eyes, said.

“May I ask who you are so I can contact her to see if you’re someone she would want in the apartment?” Lydia asked cautiously.

They looked mildly offended, but sighed. “I’m Red Beans.”

“Red…. Beans…?” Lydia asked, then shook her head, “Alright. I’ll be back.” She shut the door, locking it again, and walked to the bedroom.

Kara was still snoring, and had taken over the pillow that Lydia had been using. She murmured incoherently, and quietly enough that a human would not have been able to hear it. Lydia gently placed a hand on Kara’s shoulder. 

“Hey,” Lydia said, shaking Kara lightly, “Red Beans is here.”

Kara’s eyes fluttered open, a brilliant green that sent Lydia’s heart into a tizzy. “Red Beans? Did you let them in?”

“No, I wasn’t sure if you wanted them in the apartment.” She glanced at Bessie, who was still laying at the foot of the bed, but hadn’t made a noise. When Bessie looked back over to Lydia, her tail thumped lazily on the floor. “Judging by Bessie’s lack of reaction, they’re someone you’re used to?”

Kara blinked rapidly, as if trying to wake up. She slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position. “Yeah. Red Beans is good people.”

Lydia held out her hand to help Kara stand. “Are you good to get up?”

“Yeah, I think.” Kara took her hand and helped herself out of bed. 

The two walked to the front door, and Lydia opened it again. It wasn’t until Red Beans looked pointedly at their intertwined hands that Lydia realized they were still holding hands, and quickly let go of Kara’s. 

“So.” Red Beans said. “Heard about the doppelganger. Sad to have missed it.” They crossed their hands behind their back, rocking to and fro on their heels inconspicuously.

Lydia moved out of the way as she opened the door further, allowing Red Beans to enter the apartment. 

Red Beans made themselves right at home, taking up a corner seat on the couch and propping their combat boot-clad feet on the coffee table. They pulled a small case out of their pocket and shook a toothpick out of it, then started to pick at their teeth. 

Lydia couldn’t help the openly aghast expression that fell upon her face. She looked to Kara, who appeared nonchalant, as if to say, _“You really allow this to happen?!”_

Kara caught Lydia’s appalled gaze and merely giggled. “Red Beans is one of our best hunters, and a cryptid. We have no idea what they are, and neither do they, but they certainly are something. And trying to get them to be polite is near impossible.”

“Yeah, yeah, just give out my entire life story, why don’t you?” Red Beans asked. Their eyes, and what Lydia could see of their hair, were the color of…. Well. Red beans. Their skin was darkly tanned, with even darker freckles dotting their face. They had a buffalo check shirt on, buttoned up to the third from the top, and tucked into their high-waist jeans. The only reason Lydia even noticed that they had a belt on was because of the tacky belt buckle. It was a wolf howling at a turquoise moon. 

Red Beans noticed Lydia staring at the belt buckle and laughed. “It’s totally tacky, but I love that about it. I saw it at a rez, and I just had to have it.” They adjusted slightly to place their hands affectionately around the large belt buckle, their thumbs stroking the wolf and the turquoise moon. 

Lydia couldn’t wrap her head around what she had just heard. Getting something because you didn’t like it? What? Her confusion must have shown because Red Beans laughed again, and she felt herself being dragged toward the couch by the hand. She looked and saw Kara’s hand wrapped around hers. Kara sat in the middle, next to Red Beans, and pulled Lydia into the seat on the other side of her. 

“Red Beans, this is Lydia.” Kara started.

“Yeah, we met.” Red Beans crossed their ankles, and leaned lazily into the arm of the couch to assess Lydia. “You don’t look like much of a fighter, huh?”

“My sister was the one who did most of the fighting. I took care of her.” Lydia couldn’t help that her back stiffened at this.

“What changed?” Red Beans asked.

Kara looked expectantly at Lydia for an answer, her face encouraging Lydia to speak.

“I don’t know. Hearing that my home is being taken over from under my feet. Realizing that I wasn’t living the way my sister would have wanted. She was always telling me I needed to stand up for myself and what I believe in.” Lydia’s hand subconsciously found its way to Kara’s. If it weren’t for that damn woman, Lydia wouldn’t be responding.

Red Beans noticed the subtle movement, their eyes tracking quickly to it and taking it in knowingly. Lydia moved to let go of Kara’s hand again, but Kara kept a vice grip.

“What is your relationship with Kara?” Red Beans asked with a smirk.

“I….” She looked at Kara, unsure of how to respond. She hadn’t really put much thought to it, but she knew intrinsically that she wanted something more. Kara smiled kindly. “Well, that’s….” Lydia felt her face turning hot. “It’s….”

“It’s okay.” Kara finally said, turning her kind smile to Red Beans. “We’re working on it.”

Red Beans tilted their head to the side slightly, smirking. “Never seen a vampire blush before.”

Lydia swallowed and let Kara intertwine her fingers with hers. The heat faded from her face as she composed herself. 

The interrogation faded into idle chatter, mostly between Kara and Red Beans, while Lydia sat and listened in. It didn’t last long, maybe fifteen minutes, until Red Beans suddenly stood and dismissed themself. 

“I’ve got some cryptid stuff to do, yanno. Hunting and the like.” They stretched, reminding Lydia of a cat, "Normal cryptic things."

Lydia checked her watch, and realized it was just before dawn. “I should probably get going too.” Was that sadness that flickered across Kara’s face? Lydia’s breath faltered, and she struggled to get the next words out. “I’ve got to shower and prepare for meeting everyone else tonight.”

Kara squeezed Lydia’s hand, then slowly released it. “Okay.” 

“Well. See you two later tonight. Cryptid out.” Red Beans gave a small salute and headed out the door. 

Once the door closed behind them, Kara blurted out, “Please stay. If all you have to do is shower, please stay. I have clothes you can wear.”

Lydia was confused. “But you need rest, and--”

“And I don’t feel safe being alone right now.” Kara admitted as she hung her head. “Some hunter I am.” She muttered under her breath.

“You’re not a bad hunter for being scared.” Lydia said softly. “It takes a lot of strength to admit fear, and even more to face it.” She pondered over what she was going to say next, then decided to say it. “Tell you what, you and Bessie can come to my house. I have a spare bedroom. Because I need to drink something too, and I doubt that you have blood here.” At the mention of her name, Bessie’s tail thumped on the floor and she nudged her massive head onto Lydia’s lap.

“You’re right, I don’t.” Hope shone in Kara’s eyes, mixed with excitement. “You mean it, though? Bessie and I can come over?”

Lydia rubbed the back of her neck, turning her head away to hide a blush, “I mean, yeah. Of course.”

Kara threw her arms around Lydia, hugging her tightly. “Thank you!” 

“Of course. I want you to feel safe.” Lydia said. As she spoke, she wondered where all of the affection was suddenly coming from. Normally, Kara was at least a little more reserved than this. When Kara pulled away from the hug, Lydia looked into her eyes. They were still green, not even a trace of gold. She decided it would be best not to ask. She didn’t mind the affection, after all. It was just unexpected. 

Slowly, she stood up, one hand buried in the fur on top of Bessie’s head. Lydia looked around for a trace of a leash. Unable to find it, she opened her mouth to speak.

“Looking for something?” Kara asked, as if she had read Lydia’s mind.

“Yeah, actually. I’m trying to see where Bessie’s leash is. There is a law about keeping dogs on leads, and I don’t want a rogue cop to ticket us just because he’s bored and has nothing better to do.”

“It’s, ah, still attached to Bessie.” It was Kara’s turn to flush. “I never got the chance to take it off of her.”

“Oh.” Lydia said.

Kara giggled. She giggled, and giggled, and giggled, until she was in a full fit of laughter. Bessie snuffled and moved over to Kara, who absentmindedly ruffled her ears. Her laughter eased as she began to pet Bessie.

Lydia reached over and pulled up the lead, which was, indeed, still attached to Bessie’s collar, then stood up.

“You may want to pack some clothes so you can take a shower too.” Lydia said, “Because, and I mean this with all the kindness in my heart, you smell like you lost a fight.”

Kara looked mock-offended, “How dare you!” She giggled, then stood as well, “I’ll do that.” That said, she turned and went into the bedroom.

Lydia heard her rummaging around, and tried not to focus on it too much. Instead, she focused on petting Bessie, who was now prancing side to side, excited for a walk. Lydia made soothing shushes at Bessie, and said, “Hang on, Bessie. We’ve got to wait for your mom.”

Soon enough, Kara came out of the bedroom, a large bag on her shoulders. It was larger than Lydia expected it to be.

“Why’s the bag so big?” She asked Kara.

“It’s got my weapons in it too. This is my Go Bag.” Kara replied.

Lydia nodded. She understood the feeling. She had a bag packed just in case she needed to flee and flee fast. It was a habit she couldn’t shake, even though she’s been in a safe and stable spot for the last twenty years. But it was starting to get to the point where she would get questions on how she still looked so young. She always lied and said it was good genes.

“Are you ready to go?” Lydia asked.

Kara nodded, and made her way to the door. Lydia gave Bessie’s lead a small tug, and they followed her out of the apartment.

"Don't forget to lock the door, Kara. We don't need more monsters jumping you when you come home." Lydia said.

"Shit, you're right." Kara rummaged through her bag and produced a set of keys. She flipped through them, an adorable look of intense concentration on her face, until finally she said, "Ah-ha!" and slipped a purple key into the lock, the bolt sliding shut with a soft click. 

Lydia smiled at her. "There we go. Locked up safe and sound." She waited until Kara had put away the key, then offered out her free arm, "Care for me to escort you to my house, young miss?"

Kara giggled, the sound magical and lighthearted. "I would be honored." She slipped her arm through Lydia’s, and Lydia had to fight the urge to grin like a fool. Instead, she pulled out her sunglasses and put them on.

The trio set off to Lydia's house, and made it there safely and without incident. It was a quiet morning, with hardly a car out on the streets, let alone pedestrians on the sidewalk. 

The early morning sun lit the streets up with a pink flush. Lydia squinted in the light, even through her sunglasses. Kara squeezed her arm lightly.

"Is everything okay? You look like you're in pain." Kara said.

"I'm fine. It's just really bright out. Makes my head hurt, you know?" Lydia responded. 

"I'm sorry." Kara said softly.

Subconsciously, Lydia tugged Kara closer. She placed her other hand over Kara’s and said, "Don't be sorry. I do this all the time. It's just the way things are now. Plus, it's worth it to ensure your safety." She gave Kara the same kind smile that Kara always gave her.

Kara blushed slightly, her emerald eyes a shining jade under the sunlight as they walked. Despite her blush, she didn't try to hide her face. Instead, she beamed from ear to ear.

The women made idle chatter as they walked, joking and laughing with each other. Bessie was a good walker, staying by Lydia’s side and never stopping to sniff as they made their way to the outskirts of town to Lydia’s house. Lydia found that she hardly had to hold the leash, though she did so for the sake of legality.

Soon enough, they made it to Lydia’s house. It looked more like a cottage, on a plot of land surrounded by trees. Lydia found herself taking in Kara’s reaction to seeing the house. 

“This is _your_ place?” Kara asked, dumbfounded.

“Yeah. It’s been my home for twenty years now.” Lydia replied. She rummaged in her purse, pulling out her keys and unlocked the door. 

“And you’re sure that you have the room for me and Bessie?” Kara pressed. “It looks so small.”

“Trust me, it’s bigger than it looks.” Lydia chuckled. She swung the door open, and bent down to release Bessie from her lead, ushering the large dog into the house.

“Your christmas lights are still up inside?” Kara gave Lydia a skeptical look. “I didn’t peg you for the type.”

“The type to like ambient lighting?” Lydia gestured vaguely to a string of the pale bulbs. “It looks nice and I think it fits the mood.”

“And what mood is that, ma’am?” Kara shot Lydia a sly look as Lydia lightly kicked the door closed and locked it.

“Tranquility, of course.” Lydia grinned. She realized how close she and Kara were standing, their arms still linked, and hurriedly let go. Kara tilted her head to the side curiously, but said nothing. 

“So…. Let me show you to the guest room.” Lydia beckoned Kara to follow as she began to move, “It doesn’t get used very often. In fact, you’re the first person to stay in it. But I keep it clean regardless.”

“Really?” Kara asked, “You seem so social.”

“I can’t tell if you’re being genuine or sarcastic.” Lydia paused outside the door.

“Genuine. You don’t stop talking, like, ever.” Kara said.

“That’s…. That’s new.” Lydia stumbled through her words. She didn’t want to say, _That’s because of you._ Her hand hesitated just before touching the door handle. Was she sure about this? She took a breath in, slightly deeper than normal but not noticeably so - she hoped - and opened the door. 

“Oh, it’s beautiful.” Kara gasped. She walked into the room, and set her bag down on the chest at the foot of the bed. 

“Thank you.” Lydia said as she turned towards the door, “There’s a guest bathroom just down the hall, to the right. I’ll leave you to it.”

While she was closing the door behind her, she heard Kara softly say, “Thank you.” Lydia paused, smiled, and then closed the door the rest of the way behind her. 

Bessie was laying on the couch like she owned it. When she saw Lydia coming out of the hallway and into the living room, her tail thumped lazily against the couch cushion. Lydia gave her head a couple of pats as she passed her, then opened the door to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her, picked out a pair of clean pajamas, then went into the bathroom. She placed her clothes on the counter, started the shower, then disrobed. 

When steam was rolling out of the shower, she stepped in, and leaned against the cool shower wall. 

“Oh, Lydia.” She mumbled to herself, “You’ve got it bad.” She turned her face upwards into the stream of water. 

“And what are you going to do about it?” Lydia asked herself. 

“Absolutely nothing.” She replied to herself. “She doesn’t like me that way.” 

Lydia turned under the water, wetting her hair. “But what about dinner on Sunday?” She mused.

“Don’t entertain the thought. She’s just being polite. It’s what friends do. She’s. Just. A. Friend.”

With a heavy sigh, Lydia repeated the last part in her head, over and over again, while she showered. After the water began to run cool, much sooner than normal, she finished up and climbed out. She grabbed her hair towel, wrapping her long, black hair up into it and piling it on top of her head. She dried off, then got dressed. As she stepped into her room, she noticed the door was open.

She scanned the room, and saw something large and black on her bed. Bessie. She could tell by the tail wagging on the bed, and the familiar lifting of the head, tongue lolling out of the side of her mouth, and panting. 

Lydia chuckled. “Guess I didn’t close the door enough. Those are round handles, it’d be pretty difficult for you to get in here otherwise.”

Just as a precaution, she poked her head out into the living room, and saw that the couch was empty, but that the door to Kara’s room was opened too. She left the room, leaving the door open for Bessie, and knocked on the door frame.

“Come in.” Kara said. 

Lydia did, and saw Kara’s lilac hair in wet spirals. Her pajamas were white with pink paw prints all over them. She was sitting on the bed, half under the covers, writing in a journal. 

“Did you know that Bessie can open doors?” Lydia asked.

“Oh, yeah. She does that when she’s determined enough. Why do you ask?” Kara smirked, setting her pen inside of her journal and closing it.

“She came into my room while I was showering and was resting on my bed.” Lydia couldn’t help but return the smirk. Was it just her, or was Kara…. Was Kara checking her out? A blush came across her cheeks.

“She loves doing that to me too.” Kara’s smirk softened into a smile. “You know, I think that even if you weren’t a vampire, she would love you just the same.”

“That’s some high praise.” Lydia giggled. 

“It’s also the truth.” Kara’s eyes remained locked on Lydia’s.

“Thank you. I’ll, uh. I’ll let you get back to writing in your journal there. I need to have a drink before I go back to bed before this meeting tonight.” Lydia suddenly felt self-conscious in her satin nightgown.

“Okay. I’ll be in here if you want to talk.” Kara said.

Lydia nodded and slowly retreated from the door, closing it just enough that it was still cracked a bit.

She walked to the kitchen, grabbing some vials and pouring them into a wine glass. Lydia sipped while she walked over to the fireplace. She opened the small jewelry box, and pulled out two identical lockets. Sitting on the couch, she looked at them. She set her glass on the end-table and opened the lockets, looking at the photographs inside. Identical photos for identical lockets. Lydia felt her breath catch, and felt that she would cry - if she could. 

“Lily,” She whispered softly, “You would love this time. And you would love the person I’ve met.” Her voice cracked slightly, and she hugged the lockets to her chest. With a deep sigh, she closed them again and stood back up to put the lockets away, her eyes dry but itching as if tears could come at any second. But they never did.

She flopped helplessly back onto the couch, reaching over absentmindedly for the wine glass full of blood. Sipping it slowly, she gazed into the fireplace - though there was no fire. She sat in silence, the only sounds hitting her ears being Bessie’s slow, easy breathing as she snored on Lydia’s bed, the scratching of pen on paper, and Kara’s heartbeat. It had a slightly elevated pulse, but nothing out of the norm. It did that whenever she was near Lydia. She had grown used to it by now.

When the glass was empty, Lydia stood and walked into the kitchen. She rinsed out the glass, scrubbed it clean, and hung it up to dry. She then walked to her room, casting a wistful glance over to Kara’s room, then a sad glance to the jewelry box. She took a deep, steadying breath, then walked into her room.

Bessie was so deeply asleep that she didn’t budge when Lydia climbed into bed next to her. She wrapped her arm around the large dog, and let herself sob softly into Bessie’s pitch black fur. Lydia missed her sister more than words could say. And, more than that, she wanted her sister to meet Kara. Lydia wanted her sister to feel the freedom that she felt. But Lily would never get to, because she died over two hundred years ago.

With these things on her mind, she drifted off to sleep. It was restless, it was dreamless, and it was agonizing. And she was relieved when her phone alarm went off.

Shortly after she finished getting dressed, there was a knock at her bedroom door. She opened it to see Kara, whose heart leaped at the sight of Lydia. 

Kara was dressed like she was about to break into someone’s house. All she was missing was the ski mask. The women made eye contact, and Kara’s face turned red.

“Are you…. Are you really going to wear that to the meeting?” She asked Lydia sheepishly.

“Is it too much?” Lydia glanced down, at her black jeans, slip-on shoes, and white off-the-shoulder peasant shirt, paired with a black corset with silver floral filigree. It was on par with what she wore when she wasn’t breaking into museums to steal back precious family heirlooms.

“I mean…. It doesn’t look bad by any means. But doesn’t it restrict your movement?” Kara asked.

“Kara, I’ve worn corsets for almost five hundred years.” Lydia smiled gently, “If I found them uncomfortable, I wouldn’t wear them.”

“Do you, ah, wear them under your work uniform?” Kara pressed.

“That’s for me to know.” Lydia winked, and heard Kara’s heart skip a beat. 

_Maybe, just maybe, it is a mutual thing…._ No. No, don’t get your hopes up. 

Kara took a deep breath. “So.” She started, “Do you have a car? It’s a little far from here and we’ve got about half an hour to get there.”

“I do. I use it on rainy days.” Lydia perched her forearm on the inside of the door frame, leaning into it. Not meaning to, she smiled in a way that showed her fangs. 

Her movement caused Kara’s heart rate to speed up, though Kara didn’t move. Her face, bless her, heated up again, and she nervously curled a finger in her hair. “I think we should take your car. Will there be room for Bessie in it?”

“There is room for Bessie in the car.” At the sound of her name being used twice in ten seconds, Bessie’s head perked up from the bed, jingling. She stretched, then gracefully slid off the bed, trotting over to where Lydia and Kara stood. She sniffed the air between them, then sat down in the middle of the doorway, looking up between the two women and thumping her tail.

Lydia reached down and patted the dog on her head, her eyes never straying from Kara’s. She could get lost in the lucid, green forest that laid itself out in Kara’s eyes. In fact, she did. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears that she couldn’t even hear the two other heartbeats in the room.

Suddenly, Lydia shook her head.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked.

“Yeah. I just….” _Just what? Got lost in your gorgeous eyes? Damnable woman._ “Let’s go.” Lydia maneuvered around Bessie, who sat higher than she was comfortable lifting her legs, her hand on Kara’s waist to gently guide her out of the way, and realized a little too late that she had unintentionally pressed Kara into the side of the fireplace. She hesitated, their bodies chest to chest. Their hearts beating rapidly in tandem. Both of them held their breath in the eternal second.

Kara’s face was beet red by the time Lydia finished moving. Lydia was sure hers was as well.

The silence between them as they gathered up their things and got into Lydia’s car weighed on Lydia like a ton of bricks. As Lydia started the car up, Kara silently plugged her phone in with the directions to the safehouse.

After about fifteen minutes of driving, they spoke at the same time.

“Listen, about what happened-” Lydia said.

“I hope you’re not mad at me-” Kara said at the same time.

“What? No, I’m not angry with you. You didn’t even do anything for me to be angry about.” Lydia had to force herself to not look at Kara, but she reached over with one cool hand and patted Kara’s knee. 

Lydia was surprised enough at the warmth of Kara’s hand enveloping hers that the car jerked slightly as she jumped. 

“I’m glad you’re not angry with me. I was worried I’d done something wrong.” Kara’s voice came out softly. 

“Don’t be worried.” Lydia spared a moment to glance over to Kara, then turned her hand underneath hers and grasped her hand. “Though, I am sorry I pinned you to the fireplace. Bessie is kind of huge and was sitting in a really awkward way.”

“Oh, I don’t….” Kara’s voice faltered. “I mean, it’s no big deal.” Lydia could tell from the sound of Kara’s voice that her face was beet red again. She couldn’t help but wonder what Kara was going to say initially, though.

The silence that fell upon them this time was more companionable, and they held hands the rest of the way to the safe house. As soon as the car stopped and turned off, Bessie shoved her large head between their seats and snuffled at the air between them again, her fluffy tail wagging fast enough to blur. Lydia grabbed the leash out of her console, and then opened the back door for Bessie to climb out. She attached the leash to Bessie’s collar, and waited until Kara had stepped out of the car to lock it.

The two looked at the house. It was large and regal, and very, very imposing. Lydia slowly stepped forward, then stopped as her foot went to cross the threshold, as if she’d been shocked.

“The ground…. It’s been consecrated. I can’t set foot inside until I’ve been invited in by the owner.” Lydia said when Kara gave her a confused look.

“Let me go get Papa Swan. Wait here with Bessie.” Kara was there, then the next second, she was gone. She didn’t even sprint off. She simply vanished. Before she could wonder what else Kara was capable of, Kara was back, with an older man. He smelled like…. Something. Lydia couldn’t place it. But looking into his eyes, she could see that he was far older than even she was. 

“Papa Swan, this is-” Kara began.

“Lydia Nichola. Our newest recruit.” He smiled kindly. Lydia searched his eyes for some hint of what he was. He seemed normal. Humble. Down to earth. But there was something…. Different.

“Yes, sir.” She said. “I’m sorry, but I cannot enter until you give me permission. The grounds seem to have been consecrated.”

“Ah, yes. That was my doing, to keep those that my family hunts out. It’s not just you, I assure you. It confused the werewolf and the cryptid too.” He winked, his crystal blue eyes shining. He was pale, but not blanched, and clad in khaki pants, brown loafers, and a sky blue polo shirt. He was lean, but still muscular, and his salt and pepper hair betrayed that his hair may once have been as black as Lydia's. 

"Do you carry the intent of ill harm?" Papa Swan asked Lydia. He gazed directly in her eyes. As he asked the question, his eyes flashed. For a brief moment, less than half a second, they were whiter than his sclera. Lydia felt herself pale, and took a breath to compose herself.

“I have no ill intent towards anyone in the troupe, even those that hate me for existing.” Lydia said. His eyes flashed yet again, that whiter-than-white color, and he nodded.

“You may enter the premises, from here on out. You no longer need my permission.” Papa Swan gestured to the grand house, and Lydia stepped forward. To her surprise, the consecrated barrier let her through. She and Bessie walked up, with Papa Swan and Kara following behind.

When Lydia reached the door, she hesitated. The handle was made out of silver. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t touch this. It’ll burn me.” She said, turning back to Papa Swan and Kara.

“Try it.” Papa Swan said with a smile. It wasn’t a sneer, it was a genuine smile. Soft, radiant, and full of the same unconditional love he would have as if Lydia were his daughter. 

Tentatively, she placed her hand on the door handle, wincing in anticipation. But no pain came. She blinked, her mouth slightly agape, and turned back to Papa Swan. 

“What are you, that you’re able to make it so silver doesn’t burn me?” She asked cautiously. Her hand was still on the handle, but she still hadn’t opened it.

“Oh, it’s just a couple things I learned throughout my time. Go ahead and go inside. As long as you are on my premises, you will not be harmed by silver.” The smile remained on his face, never straying. Lydia wasn’t sure what this meant - whether he was a witch like Kara or if he was something more. She knew that this wasn’t the work of a cryptid, though. So that was out of the window. It also wasn’t the work of a mere human. 

Lydia felt like she was trying to solve an unsolvable mathematical equation. So she stopped thinking about it, and opened the heavy oak door.

The foyer was every bit as extravagant as the outside of the house was. Lydia found herself wondering how and where he had gotten the money for such a home. Before she could question it, though, her ears picked up on the faint sound of more than a dozen other heartbeats, down the hall and around the corner. 

She followed the sound of the heartbeats, while Kara and Papa Swan made idle chatter behind her. 

Lydia tried her best to tune it out, so as not to eavesdrop, and focus on the heartbeats.

Her ears led her to a set of large oak doors, and beyond the heartbeats she could hear the rabble of energetic talking. She waited for Papa Swan and Kara to come to a stop behind her, and pushed the door to open it.

The door didn’t move. She pushed again, and was about to push a third time with her full weight and strength behind it, before Papa Swan said, “Honey, you need to pull the door to open it.”

The talking died down as the door opened, and all eyes fell upon Lydia. _Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea, opening the doors myself,_ she thought. There were four friendly faces, and two not so friendly faces, and roughly a dozen faces she’d never seen before.

“Who let _you_ in?” Sara and Patrice asked simultaneously, their incredulous tones identical. 

“I did, and if you have a problem with it, you are more than welcome to leave.” Papa Swan spoke up, stepping into the doorway. He stood about a head taller than Lydia, she noticed. “We welcome all who wish to protect, even if they are different.” He gave Sara and Patrice a pointed look, though not quite a glare, and crossed his hands in front of him.

Sara and Patrice said nothing more, and merely moved to the back of the room. The rest of the large group stared at Lydia expectantly, and Lydia’s head felt like it was going to explode. So many heartbeats, gathered in a large room with _great_ acoustics and amplified the sounds of blood rushing through their bodies. 

Her body stiffened, and her eyes widened in terror. She wasn’t used to being seen by so many people. Especially when she knew at least two of them wanted to stake her where she stood. 

A hand slid into hers, clasping it gently. Lydia turned and looked, seeing Kara standing next to her.

Kara raised their hands in the air, and proclaimed, “This is the woman who saved my life. Her name is Lydia Nichola, and she is a vampire.”

All but Sara and Patrice cheered.

“Glad to meet you!” Some of them said.

“Good to know you’re the reason why Kara’s still here!” Another said.

Red Beans came up and clasped her shoulder. “You’ve got this, Lydia.” They said. Their eyes, the color of red kidney beans, shined with approval. “Don’t worry about the people.” Red Beans leaned in and whispered in Lydia’s ear, “The only two you need to worry about are too cowardly to do anything about it anyway.”

This got a worried laugh out of Lydia, and she patted Red Beans’ hand.

“Would you like introductions?” Papa Swan asked, “I’m aware that you’ve met some of the troupe already, but it’ll be easier to meet the rest now. Though most of them, you’ll not be seeing often.”

Lydia nodded stiffly, and said, “Okay.”

Papa Swan began pointing at people, “Let’s see, we’ll start with the ones you already know…. The brooding one is Travis Stockham. The hippie is Kevin Hesp. The grumpy women are Sara Goulde and Patrice Johnson. The hyper one is Harris James, the weird one is Red Beans….” Papa Swan pointed at more people. “That there is Parker Reynolds, and Steve Buscemi.” Lydia gave him a confused look, “Not that Steve Buscemi, but just as kind. There’s Allison and Charles Baumer, no relation, and no, they’re not married. Lizzie Rogers, though she prefers to be called by her full name, Elizabeth. There’s Katrika Plaus, Iggy Gonzales, Caitie Poland and Katie Bard. Rhea Robin and Rune Raven, who are near inseparable, and Lilith Palmer.” 

Parker Reynolds, an average looking man with brown hair and green eyes, gave a small salute. Steve Buscemi, who did not look like a “Steve” or a “Buscemi,” and in fact looked more like a “Todd” and a “Smith,” had fiery red hair and dark brown eyes. He was lean as a string bean and waved at Lydia. Allison and Charles Baumer looked as though they actually were related, as if they could be twins, with raven black hair and blue eyes. They even had the same button nose, and both gave her a chin nod. 

“Are you…. Are you sure that they’re not related?” Lydia whispered to Papa Swan.

He laughed, a jolly sound, and said, “Oh, I am quite sure.”

Elizabeth Rogers was an amazon of a woman, with long, platinum blonde hair, dark skin, and darker eyes. She smiled at Lydia. Katrika Plaus had blonde hair and green eyes, and a lot of freckles. She was deeply invested in whatever was on her phone screen and gave a noncommittal hand wave. Iggy Gonzales was taller, and more rotund, with wild, black curls. He looked pointedly at Lydia and Kara’s entangled hands and winked.

Lydia hastily let go of Kara’s hand, and couldn’t help but notice the dejected look that crossed Kara’s face. She gave her an apologetic smile, and Kara gave a smile back that started out sad but turned genuine in the two seconds she looked at Lydia.

Caitie Poland had long, brown hair that reached down almost as far as Lydia’s did, and deep brown eyes. She gave Lydia a friendly wave. Katie Bard, in stark contrast, had a sharp undercut and pixie blue hair. She had sea blue eyes, and was probably the shortest person in the room. Rhea Robin and Rune Raven were leaning against the snack table, holding hands. Rhea had auburn hair that brushed her shoulders. Her eyes couldn’t be seen because she was wearing sunglasses. Rune Raven had short, black, tight curls, dark brown eyes, and darker skin. Lilith Palmer had long, black hair that hit the middle of her back. Her sharp amber eyes pierced into Lydia’s, and sent a cold chill down her spine. 

“Papa Swan?” Lydia asked.

“Yes, Lydia?” He replied.

“What is Lilith?” Lydia whispered.

“Oh, that’s a question better suited for Lilith, I would think.” He chuckled and waved Lilith over.

“Lilith, this young woman is curious about what you are.” Papa Swan said.

She gave a sinister smile, licking her lips in a manner that reminded Lydia of a wolf licking its chops. Lilith leaned in uncomfortably close to Lydia and said, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m a succubus.” She let her eyes trail down Lydia’s body, “But I see you’ve already been claimed, so I won’t press my luck.” Lilith turned and walked away, her hips swaying dangerously.

“Wait, what?” Lydia said after she processed what Lilith had told her.


	7. Chapter Seven - Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia and Kara are at the troupe meeting, and things start getting.... complicated.

“What did she mean by that?” Lydia asked, turning to Kara, who was blushing intensely. “Kara? Kara, what did she mean when she said that I’ve already been claimed?”

Papa Swan chuckled and patted Lydia on the shoulder. He walked into the crowd and was swarmed with people who peppered him with questions and hugged him tightly. 

Kara didn’t respond. She stared after Lilith, bewildered. Lydia looked between the two of them, confused.

“Guess I’ll just have to find out myself.” She started after Lilith, then paused, looking at Kara, who was still standing in the same spot, staring at Lilith like she’d just suggested kicking puppies for fun. Without thinking, Lydia grabbed her hand, and said, “Come on, Kara.” and began to tug the lilac-haired woman along with her after the succubus.

Kara stumbled after her, her green eyes tracking over to Lydia, who was so entrenched in her mission to talk to Lilith that she didn’t notice. Kara gained her footing, and kept pace with Lydia the rest of the way to the succubus, who smiled when she saw the pair.

“Well, now, I can’t say I’m surprised to see you, but I didn’t expect you to come over to me so soon.” She wore the smile of someone who reveled in the knowledge that they were trouble. Her voice was low and sultry, and would be barely audible for human ears above the hum of the crowd. 

“I don’t know what you’re thinking we’re here for, but I want you to tell me what you meant when you said that I’ve already been ‘claimed.’” Lydia dropped Kara’s hand to cross her arms and began to tap her foot impatiently.

Lilith blinked slowly, like a panther basking in the sun. She seemed to enjoy the moment. “What I mean, is that this little witch has claimed you as hers. But you obviously already knew that.” She smirked and had the audacity to wink at Lydia.

Lydia heard Kara’s heart rate speed up, but chalked it up to the growing scene. Her lips thinned enough that her fangs poked her bottom lip. “She hasn’t.”

Kara made a soft noise, barely audible even to Lydia’s sharpened hearing. Lydia and Lilith both looked at her. Kara’s face was flushed a bright red again. She coughed at the sudden attention.

“Um. What are you guys looking at me for?” She managed to eke out. 

“Why don’t you share with the class what’s going on between you and Lydia, Miss Kara?” Lilith grinned, a clean line of serrated teeth exposed for the world to see. She was beautiful in the sense that a panther or a wolf was - something to observe, and not to trifle with. 

It was around this time, when Lydia looked to Kara, that she noticed that a vast majority of the rest of the group was watching warily. 

Kara’s lovely mouth was agape, and she opened it slightly more to respond, then snapped her mouth shut with a hollow thunk! Lydia found herself waiting in anticipation. _Say something, Kara. Please. Even if it’s “We’re just friends.” Don’t just panic._

Lydia saw Papa Swan begin to make his way to the trio out of her peripheral vision. As he neared, Papa Swan said, “Lilith, just the one I was searching for. Come with me, won’t you? It seems someone has spiked the punch bowl again.” His voice was friendly enough, and his eyes still maintained their endless kindness, but there was a certain steel behind his tone that was just commanding enough that Lilith gave Lydia and Kara a polite nod and followed him.

The crowd went back to their respectful activities, the scene no longer interesting to them. Kara let out a long breath, cracked her knuckles, and shot Lydia a glance. Her green eyes had a fierceness to them that Lydia had only seen once before - when Kara had held her at gunpoint. 

“I really don’t appreciate being put on the spot like that.” She finally grumbled. The fierceness dissipated, and she looked as if she was about to faint. Lydia held her arm out to Kara, and she took it with a grateful smile.

“I’m the same way, so I understand.” Lydia offered a kind smile, and Kara’s cheeks reddened slightly. Lydia couldn’t help but pick up the sound of her heart rate skyrocketing. “You, uh…. You look like you might need something to drink. How about you lead me to the drink bar? We’ll grab you some bottled water, since apparently someone spiked the punch bowl again.” She used the same inflection that Papa Swan had used prior, and Kara giggled. It made Lydia beam. 

“That sounds wonderful.” Kara peered up into Lydia’s eyes, and Lydia noticed that Kara’s pulse settled as she spoke. “It’s probably been too long since I’ve had something to eat or drink. Right this way.” There was a pep in Kara’s step, and Lydia was practically dragged across the room.

She noticed that most of the people gave friendly waves to Kara, and then a polite nod to Lydia. Kara didn’t pay them much mind, as it seemed her heart was set on acquiring food and drink. Lydia gave as many nods as she could without making herself dizzy. 

As they neared the opposite side of the room, Lydia noticed Patrice and Sara moving along the perimeter of the room, away from her and Kara. The two women glared daggers at Lydia. She shrugged it off. If they couldn’t be swayed, they couldn’t be swayed, and Lydia felt that she should accept that. 

Rhea and Rune were still leaning against the snack table, chatting amicably. Their hands were intertwined, and when they saw Kara approaching on a mission, their chatter slowed. 

“Ah, you must be Lydia.” Rhea waved. She lowered her sunglasses, revealing bright red eyes as she inspected Lydia. “Kara’s spoken very highly of you. Sara…. Not so much. You’re a bit of a curiosity.” 

Rune giggled, and chastised her partner playfully, “Don’t talk like that, Rhea. What Rhea means is that you’ve caused a bit of a stir. We thought nothing could cause Sara and Kara to disagree with each other so vehemently.”

“I see.” Lydia said. She couldn’t pull her eyes from Rhea’s ruby eyes. “I’m sorry, but, are you….”

“A changeling?” Rhea asked before Lydia could finish. “Indeed I am. But I only change when I have to.”

“I’ve never met a changeling before.” Lydia mused.

“How young of a vampire are you?” Rhea asked skeptically.

“She’s over half a millennia.” Kara said after a gasp from a deep sip of water that Lydia hadn’t noticed her grabbing. 

“Five hundred years, and never having met a changeling?” Rhea didn’t sound convinced.

“I tended to keep to myself up until meeting Kara.” Lydia admitted shyly.

“And what was so special about Kara that you decided to break your solitude?” Rhea and Rune had near identical impish grins, though Rhea was the one to ask.

_“The damn woman can’t make me stop admitting things.” No. “She made me realize that my sister would want more for me.”_ That worked more adequately. “She made me realize that my sister would want more for me.” Lydia said finally. She took a deep breath. It was hard enough to keep the initial thought to herself, though the second thought was also true, but she was proud that she was finally starting to gain control of the things that came out of her mouth around Kara. 

Kara looked at her with wide, green eyes. Though she’d heard something similar from Lydia herself, it seemed to surprise her that Lydia would say it so bluntly. Lydia’s cool brown eyes met Kara’s emerald eyes, and Lydia shrugged as if to say _“What? It’s true.”_

“Oh,” Rune swooned into Rhea, “C’est romantique.” She peered up into Rhea’s ruby eyes, and said, “How come you never say such sweet things about me?”

“You imp.” Rhea grinned and wrapped her arms around Rune, “How about I take you into the back room and show you just what you mean to me?”

Kara couched, choking on a cookie that…. _When did she grab that?_ As Lydia stared at Kara, bewildered at her sleight of hand, Rhea picked Rune up in her arms and carried her off without so much as a goodbye.

“Do you, uh…. Do you want real food?” Lydia asked after a moment.

Kara shoved the rest of the cookie into her mouth, all but swallowing it whole, “Cookies are real food!” She wiped her hands off on each other, then crossed her arms in a pout.

_Damn this woman for being so adorable,_ Lydia thought. “Yeah, but they’re not _healthy_ food. Look, there’s a perfectly fine veggie tray over there.” She gestured to the vegetable tray, glancing away from Kara just long enough for Kara to materialize another cookie in her hands and start munching on it.

“You make a good point, but consider: Vegetables do not taste as good as double chocolate chunk with walnuts.” Kara said between bites.

“How- How do you keep _doing that?_ Where are you getting those cookies from?” Lydia blurted out, flabbergasted. Kara didn’t even have a purse, let alone more than two real pockets.

“Like this,” Kara held her hand out, and another cookie materialized in it with a puff of purple smoke. Little sparkles of Kara’s magic floated down to the ground, winking out as it rejoined the earth. 

Lydia opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. She knew that Kara was a witch, because she’d been told that Kara was a witch, but _seeing_ the magic in action was something else entirely. It had been a couple hundred years since Lydia had last met a witch, so it had been a couple of hundred years since she had seen _real_ magic performed. 

“What?” Kara asked, “Were you not aware that I’m a witch? I mean, Lilith said something about it, so I guess you did but…. Normally my hair gives it away.” She reached up with her free hand and self consciously tugged at her hair. 

“Normally, that would. But with the rise of hair being dyed outlandish colors, I honestly didn’t even consider it when we first met....” Lydia took a steadying breath. “But I was aware, because Kevin and Travis told me while you were sleeping the night you were attacked. But it’s been so long since I last met a witch that I almost forgot the things true witches were capable of.”

“How long, exactly?” Kara asked, her interest piqued. 

It was around this time that Bessie made her presence known again. She knocked Lydia in the back of the legs, causing her to stumble forward into Kara, who dropped her cookie on the floor to catch Lydia. They stood there awkwardly, Kara’s arms wrapped tightly around Lydia, and Lydia’s arms draped over Kara’s shoulders. As they were moving to part, Bessie paced in a circle around them, wrapping the leash around their knees and holding them together.

Kara started laughing, her face flushed a bright red. Judging by the spike in her heart rate, Lydia figured it was a mixture of genuine amusement and embarrassment. 

Travis walked by at this exact moment, and chuckled. “Dog troubles, I see.” He patted Bessie on the head and said, “Good girl.”

“What?!” Lydia managed to say. She could feel Kara’s heart racing in her own chest. Her own face was heated up as a furnace, and she was certain that she could fry eggs on her cheeks.

Travis pulled out his phone, telling Bessie to sit - which she did. It only forced Lydia and Kara closer together. The sound of a shutter clicked, and Kara yelped.

“Oh, you did NOT just do what I think you did!” Kara said incredulously.

“What? You can teleport. If you really wanted out of _that,”_ Travis gestured vaguely to Lydia, Kara, and Bessie, “You would do it.”

Kara’s face heated up more, but despite her furious blushing, she held tighter to Lydia. She didn’t argue his point though, and Lydia felt the ember of hope glowing brighter. Kara gripped Lydia’s waist with one hand, and grabbed Lydia’s hand with her other hand, and in one smooth movement, the pair spun gracefully, almost out of spite, Lydia figured. As they parted, Kara bowed low, still holding Lydia’s hand in hers.

A couple of people that were nearby whooped and clapped, and Travis said, “Congratulations on the _most extra way_ to untangle yourselves possible. When you could have just teleported three inches away and had the same outcome.”

“There is just no pleasing you, is there?” Kara asked.

“I don’t know, it was pretty pleasing to see you tangled up with your crush.” Travis smirked.

Kara was fuming, but still didn’t let go of Lydia’s hand. Lydia blinked a few times, looking between Travis and Kara in disbelief. She reached out with one hand and tangled her fingers into Bessie’s fur in an effort to ground herself. 

_Crush?_ That couldn’t be right. But all the signs were there. But that _couldn’t_ be right. But could it?

Sensory overload began to set in. “I’m gonna, uh…. Go explore with Bessie.” Lydia said numbly, already halfway to the door. It was a lame excuse, and she knew it, but she couldn’t just sit here while the woman she was falling head over heels for bickered about their relationship status with her best friend. It was too much.

“Lydia, is everything okay?” Kara caught her wrist.

“What? Oh, yeah, I just…. I need some air.” Lydia lied. Bessie whined and sat down right in front of Lydia. She was so busy looking into nothingness that she almost tripped over Bessie, but was yanked back into Kara’s arms. 

“Let me come with you?” She asked Lydia, slowly helping her back to her feet.

_How could she ask when I can’t say no to her?_ Lydia thought, but shrugged nonchalantly. "You're always welcome to tag along. Especially since I have your dog." She smirked, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Great! Let me show you around." Kara took Lydia's hand in hers, and began to excitedly drag her around the building, pointing out important rooms and works of art, and giving her the general history of the building.

It turned out that Swan Manor, as it was called, was almost as old as Lydia was, maybe a little over 150 years younger. Papa Swan had built it himself in the seventeenth century. 

"What exactly is Papa Swan?" Lydia asked.

"Oh, I have no idea. Every time it's been brought up, he changes the subject and dodges the question. But he's powerful, unlike anything I've ever encountered." Kara rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand nervously. "I am admittedly half terrified of him, so I stay on his good side."

"That's understandable. Besides, he does good so what does it really matter, right?" Lydia asked. 

"Exactly. He doesn't harm the innocent and has organized us all together, from every creed, and shown us that we don't have to live in fear of who we are, especially when we can make a positive difference in the world." Kara squeezed Lydia’s hand. 

There was a moment of silence as the pair stared out of the window. The view of the back yard was magnificent. In the courtyard, there was a fountain with a statue of an angel holding a sword atop it. Beyond the courtyard was grass sloping into a small lake, with a forest on the other side of it. 

"He has so much land to himself. And here I am with my one acre." Lydia chuckled to herself. "I feel as though I've been outdone."

"You're doing better than me. I just have a shitty apartment that I always forget to lock." Kara snorted. As she spoke, Lydia noticed her fingers interlacing with hers. She gave Kara’s hand a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah…. You really ought to get better about that." Lydia smiled. 

Kara smiled back, a wistful look crossing her face. She took Lydia's other hand, so she was holding both of her hands, and she stepped closer to Lydia. She tilted her face up towards her….

"There you are!" Came Red Beans' voice, "I've been tracking your scent all across the manor! Paris Swan said he needs to see you before he sends you two ho…. Oh. Am i interrupting?"

"Oh. Uh. No. No, not at all." Kara's heartbeat, initially slow and steady, accelerated with nerves. 

Lydia was in a daze. She wasn't sure of what to make about what had almost happened. Was Kara going to kiss her? Is that what was about to happen? Only Kara would know. 

Lydia blinked, and the trio, plus Bessie, was back in the dining hall with Papa Swan. The rest of the crowd had cleared out. She didn’t feel anything, no intense rush of wind, no gentle breeze. No _whoosh._ Just, suddenly she was in one spot, and the next moment she was in a different spot. 

She gazed at Kara, astonished. This damn incredible woman was not a force to be reckoned with. She was downright dangerous, if something like teleporting four entities didn’t exhaust her even a lick. And Lydia could tell that Kara wasn’t exhausted - her heart rate was the same, there was no sweat, her breathing hadn’t changed. She was still bursting with life and energy.

Lydia would be lying if she said she wasn’t intimidated by this. Materializing cookies was one thing. Teleporting one’s self was also one thing. But teleporting multiple beings? And not being phased by it? That was an impressive show of power. And terrifying, if she was being completely honest with herself.

Moreover, Lydia found herself inexplicably more attracted to Kara. It was a testament to her strength, and showed that she was able to fend for herself. And it showed that perhaps, when she had been taken over by the doppelganger, the only reason she had lost the battle was because the doppelganger took on her particular set of abilities as well.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kara asked. "Is there something on my face?"

"No, no, it's just…." _You're really pretty, and you could crush me in an instant if you wanted to._ "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Kara asked playfully.

Before Lydia could reply, Papa Swan butted in. "Before you two start flirting," Kara and Lydia both flushed, and Red Beans sighed, saying something about them being hopeless, "I wanted to let you know that you two will be partnered together in our search for the rogue vampires."

"What about Travis?" Kara asked. "He was supposed to be my partner."

Papa Swan held his hands up to placate Kara. "Travis will be partnering with me. I need to start training him to take over the operation anyway. This is a good time to start. Besides," he gave a coy smirk, "I sense a bond between you two that is unshakable. You'll be _perfect_ for each other."

Kara and Lydia exchanged glances. Kara’s expression was hard to read, and Lydia was sure hers was too. It's not that Lydia wasn't happy to be partnered up with Kara. She just wasn't sure she was able to protect her. What if she just got in the way?

As if he could read what Lydia was thinking, Papa Swan said, "You two will do just fine together. You've already saved Kara twice." 

"He's right, yanno." Red Beans said, giving Lydia a knowing glance. “You did save Kara’s life twice, even if one of the times was technically your fault in the first place.”

Lydia sucked her cheek in at that, pursing her lips. _They’ve got a point, though,_ she thought. _But if I hadn’t bumped into her, what might have happened in the aftermath?_ She wasn’t loath to admit it, but she had to admit that she now couldn’t imagine her life going any other way, in the short time she’d known this woman. This damn adorable woman had changed her life drastically. In a way that Lydia hoped was for the better. Before, she’d simply been surviving. But now, she was living. The purpose wasn’t quite clear yet, but it was there, and that was more than enough for her at this point.

There was a sudden laugh, and Lydia’s eyes darted to Papa Swan, who was chuckling sensibly. “Regardless, I have made my choice. Kara Olden, Lydia Nichola, you two are officially partners.” Kara nodded and grabbed Lydia’s hand, going to guide her to the door. “Oh, and. Lydia, you will need to quit your job.”

“What will I do about bills? And food?” Lydia asked. “I don’t owe anything more on my house, but I still have to pay taxes and my car….”

“I’ll handle everything. An old man has his ways.” Papa Swan winked, placing a hand on Lydia’s shoulder as he did. 

Lydia smiled at him, “I’ll put in my two week notice.” 

“Really? Just like that?” Red Beans asked. “Most people put up more of a fight than that.”

“I don’t exactly love sticking people with needles.” Lydia shrugged, “I was thinking about trying to switch to blood donations.”

Red Beans leaned over to Kara and whispered loudly, “I thought you said she was level-headed.”

Kara shrugged. “She is.”

Something nagged at Lydia, that maybe this seemed too easy. But her life for the last five hundred years had been such a fight that she was willing to take the leap of faith. If Kara trusted him, she could too, right? 

_Fool. You’ve known this woman for less than a week, and you’re staking your life on who she keeps company with?_ Indeed. She was. As foolhardy a decision as it was, she was willing to put her livelihood in the hands of someone that Kara trusted.

Lydia looked at Kara, and she knew that, come what may, she could always trust her. Even if things got hard, she could trust her partner.

"Okay, good talk Papa Swan." Kara said suddenly, dragging Lydia out of the dining hall.

"It was great seeing you again, Red Beans. Nice to meet you, Papa Swan!" Lydia waved with her free hand, stumbling behind Kara. Bessie followed without prompting, staying close to Lydia’s side the whole time.

Once they got out of the house and back to Lydia's car, Kara rounded on her. "Why did you agree like that? Where's your sensibility?"

"What?" Lydia blinked.

"You didn't even hesitate." Kara began pacing in the dirt.

"Of course not. I said I wanted to do this…." Lydia began.

"And that _lie_ about wanting to change career paths! What was that? What are you getting out of this?" Kara stopped paying and jabbed a finger at Lydia.

"I get to help people." Lydia remained calm, though admittedly confused.

"So you were serious?" Kara asked.

"Why did you bring me here, introduce me to everyone, if you thought I wasn't?" Lydia's brows knit together, perplexed.

"I just…. I…." Kara leaned against the car.

"You what?" Lydia went to reach out to Kara but stopped herself.

Bessie whined, sitting between the two, unsure of whose side to take.

"Kara. I want this. I do. I don't know what you want me to say to make this alright, or why you're angry, but I'm sorry." Lydia said softly, folding her arms under her chest.

"No." Kara said after a long moment of silence. "No, I'm sorry. I've been partners with Travis since I got into this business, and I took that out on you. He's like my brother."

"You'll still get to see him. It isn't like he's going away. He is still your surrogate brother. Nothing will change that." Involuntarily, Lydia stepped forward as she spoke. She wasn't sure when it happened, but she had dropped Bessie’s leash, and cupped Kara’s chin, gently tilting her face up to look into her emerald eyes. 

Kara’s heart fluttered, and she suddenly threw her arms around Lydia. "You're right. You're right and I'm sorry." 

Lydia wrapped her arms around Kara, returning the embrace. The two stayed like that until Bessie nudged them apart.

"Can we go back to your house?" Kara asked sheepishly.

"Of course." Lydia smiled. "We need to stop to pick up some food for you and Bessie though. Are you up for a quick shopping trip?"

Kara beamed, her smile brighter than the moon. 

The drive to the market was amicable, though the first part of it was Kara apologizing over and over again for taking her frustration out on Lydia, and Lydia reassuring her again and again that she wasn't angry. They held hands, and when they reached the market, Kara paused. 

"Wait." She said. She closed her eyes, and a purple mist surrounded Bessie. Before Lydia's eyes appeared a service dog harness. "There. As long as you hold her, she'll behave. I don't want to leave her in the car."

Lydia giggled. "How do you keep doing this?"

"Do what?" Kara asked, her eyes wide.

"Astonishing me." Lydia said simply.

The trio got out of the car and walked up to the store, the women producing masks from their pockets and putting them on. Kara grabbed the shopping cart, and they set about getting the bare basics, along with disposable plates and cutlery, and a food and water dish for Bessie.

The person at the checkout counter looked between Kara and Lydia, then their eyes widened at the sight of Bessie, but they said nothing. 

Kara’s eyes crinkled with an unseen smile, and Lydia returned the gesture. She paid for the food and food accessories, bade the cashier a pleasant evening, and they made their way back to the car.

The rest of the drive to Lydia's home was filled with pleasant conversation. Lydia learned that she and Kara shared a favorite color: Blue. Their taste in music differed; Kara preferring alternative music, and Lydia enjoying folk music and shanties.

They made it home safely. And, upon arriving inside, they set about putting their groceries away. Kara turned on Lydia's unused oven and popped in a frozen meal. Lydia prepared her nightly meal of a wine glass full of blood, and the two flopped onto the couch in sync. They consumed their meals in comfortable silence, wished each other a good night after cleaning up, and went to their rooms.

Lydia threw herself onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling fan in her dark room. "Don't fall in love, Lydia." She murmured to herself. "Don't do it." And with that, her eyes fluttered shut for the rest of the evening.

The sound of her door opening, followed by soft footsteps and a pounding heartbeat, woke Lydia. Her eyes shot open and she sat up, to see Kara, in her pajamas for the evening, rubbing her eyes. Tears streaked her cheeks, and she shuddered a deep breath. 

“What’s wrong?” Lydia asked. She slipped out of bed, crossing the room to meet Kara.

“I…. I had a nightmare. Can I sleep with you?” Kara asked weakly. 

“Oh. Uh, sure.” Lydia guided her to the other side of the bed, pulling the covers down and helping her up onto the bed.

“Thank you.” Kara said softly as Lydia tucked her in. 

“Of course.” Lydia smiled gently. Even in the dark, she could see that Kara’s face was flushed. 

When Lydia climbed into her side of the bed, she lay on her back, wondering how it came to this. _Am I really that big of a source of comfort for her this soon?_ She asked herself. Lydia looked over to Kara, who was already fast asleep. She smiled again, and closed her eyes one more. 

Lydia woke to her alarm going off, and tangled in Kara’s arms. Kara stirred, and grumbled, “Nooo, five more minutes, please.”

Lydia chuckled at that, and reached over with one hand to silence her alarm. “We do need to get up, if we want to go on our date tonight.”

Kara immediately untangled herself, and sat up. Lydia was worried she’d said the wrong thing, until she saw the excitement gleaming in Kara’s eyes. 

“Yes!” Kara exclaimed. She hugged Lydia, and leaped off the bed, bolting out of the room. 

“I didn’t think she’d be so excited about it.” Lydia whispered to Bessie, who was looking at the door in confusion from the foot of the bed.

Bessie looked at Lydia and whined in response.

“Oh, I know. I’m nervous too.” Lydia ruffled the fur on Bessie’s head, and slipped out of bed. She headed to the shower, piling her hair into a bun on the top of her head while she moved, and put on a shower cap after disrobing. 

After her quick shower, she applied makeup, then got dressed. She pulled on some tights, and slipped into a peasant shirt and a long, high-waisted red skirt. She tight-laced a black underbust corset over the outfit. She fluffed her hair for extra measure, and put on a pair of black leather slip-on shoes. She put her necklaces on, a black velvet choker to hide her puncture marks that were symbolic of her being a vampire, and her locket from Lily.

When she felt ready, she walked out of the room to see Kara in a mid-length red evening gown, with matching red sandals with tan wedges. The sight of her took Lydia’s breath away. 

It took Lydia a moment to realize her jaw was hanging, and she closed her mouth, “You, uh…. You look incredible.” She said, her face growing redder by the instant.

Kara was already blushing slightly, but this made her face turn about as red as her dress. She grinned, then shook her head slightly, her hair brushing across her shoulders as her head moved, “Shall we go?”

“We shall.” Lydia smiled, a bundle of nerves. She started to leave the room, then heard a soft woof. She turned to look at Bessie. “Are we taking Bessie with us, or leaving her here?”

Kara pondered the question for a moment, and then spoke, “I think it best if we leave her here. Restaurants tend to not like service dogs, even though they’re legally required to accept them.” 

Lydia nodded, “That makes sense.” She turned back towards Bessie and ruffled the fur on top of her head, “Sorry, girl, you’ve got to stay here.” 

Bessie huffed, as if she could understand what was being said, and laid her head back down on the bed, and gave Lydia and Kara a woeful stare.

Kara laughed lightheartedly, and turned to leave the room. As she did, she grabbed Lydia’s hand and led her to the front door. Lydia grabbed her purse and keys on the way out, and waved goodbye to Bessie. 

“Be good, watch the house!” Lydia called as she was led out the door. She managed to slow Kara enough to lock the front door before Kara dragged her to the car.

Lydia unlocked the car with her key fob, and Kara held the car door open for her, then rushed to the other side of the car. She watched Kara with amusement, and when Kara got into the car, she pulled around and off the property.

The pair headed into town, listening to Kara’s pop music the entire time, and made their way to the restaurant.


	8. Chapter Eight - The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia and Kara embark on an adventure to a local, high-end restaurant, where things slowly start to pick up traction.

They arrived at the restaurant with no difficulty. Kara was fiddling with her phone, and didn’t notice that Lydia had pulled into the parking lot, found a spot, and parked the car. She glanced up when the car shut off. Lydia was already out the door, holding Kara’s open for her.

“It’s my turn to be chivalrous.” Lydia gave a playful smirk.

Kara looked up at Lydia, her cheeks flushed. She lightly nibbled her lower lip as she got out of the car, and stepped close to Lydia. 

Lydia's breath hitched. She could smell Kara’s perfume, an intoxicating mix with her natural scent. Atop that, Kara's heartbeat was slow and steady, as if the woman was planning something. She found that her gaze was drawn to the sultry slits in Kara's evening dress, revealing almost the entirety of her legs. Her eyes took in the form fitting gown, the spaghetti straps holding it over her shoulders, the fine and tasteful sequins giving it an ethereal sheen. The dress was remarkable, as much so as the woman wearing it. 

A light touch on her shoulder brought her back to reality. 

"Are we going to go inside, or are you going to stare at me all night?" Kara giggled.

Lydia blushed, "You're right. We have a reservation."

The women stared at each other for another moment, then Lydia offered her arm. Kara slipped her arm into Lydia’s, her hand sliding down her forearm to lock their fingers together. Lydia could feel the pounding of Kara’s pulse against her wrist, and she had to swallow back the urge to wonder how she must taste. She swallowed hard.

“What’s the matter?” Kara asked tentatively. She started to pull her hand away, but Lydia held on tight. “I just heard you gulp.” She looked at Lydia with concern in her eyes.

Lydia managed a smile, and nodded. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine. Just a little nervous, I guess.” It wasn’t an inherent lie, but how would Kara react to “I want to drink from you.”? Not well, presumably. Most people don’t take well to that. Most.

Kara tilted her head, looking skeptical, but didn’t say anything. She merely smiled after a moment, then patted Lydia’s hand and began to guide her into the restaurant.

The sun hung low in the sky, and Lydia took off her sunglasses, placing them into her purse. The lights shining through the windows of the restaurant were welcoming in the beginnings of the dark, though the streetlights weren’t on just yet. 

Both of their heels clicked on the asphalt as they walked through the crowded parking lot.

“Looks like a busy night for the restaurant.” Kara mused.

“I’ve heard it’s always busy, but that’s why I made reservations.” Lydia turned to Kara and smiled, squeezing her hand. The direction that they were walking had the sun setting to Kara’s right, and when Lydia looked at her, the light illuminated her profile in a brilliant pink hue, giving her an ethereal glow. Lydia’s breath hitched again, and she bit her lower lip and looked away. 

Kara giggled, “It’s good that you made reservations. I don’t want to wait around for an hour for a table.” If she noticed Lydia’s reaction, she didn’t show it or say anything about it. Lydia couldn't tell if she was making small talk or if she was genuinely expressing her mind. She decided to not think too much on it.

Instead, she hummed. "Yeah. From the reviews I've read, their food is really, really good though."

Kara’s eyes lit up, “Oh, man. I hope so!”

The women neared the building. Lydia held the door open for Kara, who gave a curtsey - causing Lydia to giggle. Kara giggled as well as she pulled up from the curtsey.

As they entered, Lydia noticed the host was watching them with an amused smile.

“How may I help you this fine evening, ladies?” He asked. His bow tie was a little loose, which suggested to Lydia that either he was towards the end of his shift, or was in a hurry to get to work for his shift. Either way, it was loose and it took every ounce of her willpower to not reach over the desk and straighten it.

Kara gave Lydia an odd look, and the man turned to her. She realized she hadn’t spoken.

“Oh, uh, sorry. My mind got ahead of me. Reservation for two, under the name Nichola.” Lydia finally responded. 

He nodded once, albeit vigorously enough that his loosened bow tie bobbed a little with the motion, then clicked something on the computer by the desk, pulled a card out of the keyboard, and beckoned for Lydia and Kara to follow him.

They were led to a back room that was noticeably nicer and more quiet than the bustle of the front dining area. The host turned on a small glass gas lamp that sat in the middle of the table. Kara watched, and as the flame danced about, her pupils dilated significantly. She slowly sat down in her chair with a barely audible “Thank you, sir,” and propped her elbows on the table to lean forward in her chair and watch the small fire.

Lydia looked up to the man, and spoke a little louder than Kara, “Thank you, good sir.” She slipped him a twenty-dollar-bill she had pulled from her clutch in the form of a handshake. 

He glanced down to the bill, then back up at Lydia, smoothly pocketing it as if he were feeling around for the card he had pulled from the computer earlier, and gave a second, more sensible, nod. “Your server, Claudia, will be with you two shortly.” With that, he strode back to the front desk.

Lydia looked back over to Kara as she took her seat, watching the reflection of the flame dance in the witch’s bright green eyes. She idly, yett cautiously, straightened her cutlery, pleasantly surprised to find that it was not real silver. 

Kara glanced up, and flushed when she noticed that Lydia was watching her. “Sorry,” She said with a light, nervous laugh, “I really like fire. It’s always been really fun to watch, and even more fun to play with.”

“And I’m sure you’ve never committed arson, whether accidentally or intentionally.” Lydia smiled playfully. 

“That sounds like something a police officer would say, ma’am.” Kara gave an exaggerated wink to show she was joking. 

“Good thing I’m not a police officer.” Lydia said, resting one of her hands on the table. 

Just as Kara reached over and placed her hand over Lydia’s, a woman dressed in a fine suit approached the table. There was a gold name-tag attached to her jacket. She was bearing a fine metal tray with two glasses of water on it, and a small bowl of lemon wedges. As she placed the beverages and citrus on the table, she spared a quick glance to Kara’s hand resting over Lydia’s, then looked between the women.

“Good evening, my name is Claudia, and I’ll be your server for the night. Is there anything that I can get you to drink?”

Kara nodded, “Could I have a Sprite, please?”

Lydia glanced up, and asked, “Do you happen to have fresh coffee?”

Claudia nodded. She was a tall, slender woman, with her dark hair done up in a low, thick bun that sat at the base of her neck. “Can do. Do you want regular or decaf?”

“Regular, please.” Lydia replied.

“Any milk, cream, or sugar?” Claudia asked.

“Cream and sugar, please.” Lydia responded.

Claudia added a couple of notes to her pad, and nodded again. “I’ll have your drinks right out for you.”

“Thank you.” Lydia and Kara said in unison.

Claudia smiled with amusement, then walked off toward the kitchen.

“Coffee, this late in the evening?” Kara asked with a smirk that made Lydia’s heart do somersaults.

“Hey, I woke up not too long ago. So did you.” Lydia rolled her eyes in exaggeration.

“Fair, fair.” Kara said.

“Say, why did you order a Sprite anyway?” Lydia grew curious.

“Caffeine makes me sleepy.” Kara shrugged.

Lydia nodded sagely. “I can understand that sentiment. I’ve never been there, but I can understand it.” She realized that at some point, she had turned her hand over under Kara’s, and was holding her hand. With a blush, she went to pull her hand away.

Kara’s hand lightly squeezed hers, stopping Lydia. “This is a date, isn’t it?” Kara asked innocently, her brilliant green eyes seemingly boring into Lydia’s very soul.

“Well, yes, but, I…. I mean….” Lydia stammered, suddenly flustered.

“Then, please, let’s hold hands.” Kara sounded almost dejected. The soft pleading in her voice made Lydia’s heart lurch, and she moved her hand around so their fingers interlaced.

“As you wish.” Lydia smiled gently.

Kara grinned and squeezed Lydia’s hand.

Before any of them could say anything more, Claudia returned with the beverages. She set down Kara’s Sprite, Lydia’s mug of coffee, a small pitcher filled near to the brim with cream, and a small bowl of sugar, along with a delicate metal spoon.

Both women beamed up at Claudia, and said their thanks, once again in unison. Claudia chuckled to herself, and asked, “Have you two lovebirds figured out what you want to eat for dinner tonight, or do you need a moment to decide?”

Lydia smiled over to Kara, silently questioning. She knew she couldn’t taste anything, but figured she should probably get _something_ to appear normal. She ran over the scenario in her head, lying about not eating after she wakes up and getting weird looks as if to say _“Well, why come to a five-star restaurant if you’re not going to eat the food?”_ The scenario itself was enough to give her anxiety.

Kara seemed to understand what was going through Lydia’s head, and smiled politely at Claudia. “I think we’ll need a few more moments, please.”

“Of course.” Claudia smiled and wandered over to another table, flipping through pages in her notepad. 

Kara picked up a menu, and held it out to Lydia, who took it. Kara then picked up the other menu sitting in the middle of the table and began to flip through it. Lydia began to do the same. 

She eventually settled on a blue rare tri-tip steak, with grilled asparagus and a loaded baked potato. Just as she turned her face up to Kara to ask her if she had chosen, Claudia returned on queue.

"Have you lovely ladies decided on your meals for the evening?" She asked with a bright smile.

Lydia politely rattled off her decision, and Kara said after, "I'll take a medium rare filet mignon, with your seasoned green beans and mashed potatoes, please."

Claudia nodded and finished writing down the order, then said, "I'll have that right out for you. Thank you, ladies."

"No, thank _you."_ Lydia and Kara said in unison. Claudia giggled softly, then headed back toward the kitchen again.

"Have I told you that you look absolutely lovely tonight?" Kara asked, a flirtatious tone to her voice.

"You may have." Lydia responded coyly.

"Well, if I already have, I must do it again." Kara smiled, her eyes taking in as much of Lydia's body as they could without her having to move from her seat. "You look absolutely lovely. Ravishing, even." She was smirking flirtatiously, but her blush gave away how nervous she was.

Lydia blushed in turn. "And you look positively stunning. Breathtaking, even." She left out the continuation of _But then again, you always do._ Lydia felt it excessive and unbecoming. But then again, twenty years ago, openly courting another woman was considered unbecoming. Hell, it still was in some parts of the world.

A giggle rose to Kara's throat. It was bubbly and melodic, and made Lydia's heart feel light. Lydia rubbed her thumb idly against the side of Kara's thumb, resting her chin on her free hand. 

"I mean it. You are gorgeous. And I don't say that lightly." Speaking her truth was…. Well, it was usually easier said than done. But around Kara? It was easier done than said. It just managed to always slip out. 

Kara's blush deepened. In the distance, a table burst into singing the Happy Birthday song and cheers as a full size cake was brought out to the table. "You truly think so?" Kara asked shyly.

"Always have. And the more I learn about you, the more enticing you become." _In truth, you're like a drug. You're dangerous, you make it impossible to think straight, and given enough time, I likely won't be able to function without you._ But again, Lydia left that part out. 

Kara searched Lydia's eyes for something. Lydia was unsure of what. But after a moment, Kara smiled. "I'm glad the feeling is mutual." She finally said. Her cheeks were so blushed that Lydia was half convinced that they were going to be perpetually rosy pink. Let alone the huge, beautiful smile that graced her lips. 

It set Lydia at ease, knowing that she wasn’t going crazy. _I mean, I probably am, but at least I’m not alone in this,_ she thought. She glanced at Kara’s ruby red lips, finding peace in knowing that she was the reason they were grinning. 

Kara squeaked, and suddenly covered her mouth with her free hand. “I’m sorry,” She said, “I don’t normally smile this much, or react this way to people. It’s just, there’s something about you.”

Lydia shook her head with a giggle, “Trust me, I understand.”

“You always seem so cool and composed. Even now. And look at me, practically in a romantically induced mania.” Kara’s emerald eyes averted, focusing on something going on in the kitchen.

“Kara, just because I _appear_ to be calm and collected doesn’t mean I _am.”_ Lydia squeezed her hand gently, which caused Kara to look back to her. “You have no idea the effect that you have on me.” She could hear the blood rushing in her ears, Kara’s heart beating wildly as if it were about to burst out of her chest and fly away.

And she wasn’t sure how to take it. She couldn’t believe that Kara liked her, but all the signs were there. It was a mutual feeling. A smile tugged at her lips.

Before either of them could say any more, Claudia returned with two plates of food, a blue rare tri-tip steak and a medium rare filet mignon. She set them down in front of the women, clearly feeling like she was interrupting an intimate moment. Claudia murmured a quiet, quick “Enjoy your food.” and all but scuttled away before the ladies could thank her.

Lydia and Kara exchanged amused looks, blushed when they realized they were making eye contact, and began to eat.

She couldn’t taste her food. She felt the heat, and had to blow on the bites, but couldn’t taste it. She felt the juices running out of the steak and over her tongue, but there was no savory flavor. It was like eating hot, textured water. But she ate it nonetheless. 

The slightest hint of the scent of blood floated to her, from Kara’s direction, immediately followed by a soft “Fuck, ouch.” Lydia couldn’t help the reaction of her pupils dilating, but she sat rabbit-still, staring at Kara, who was holding her cheek.

“Sorry. I bit my cheek really hard.” Kara laughed nervously. 

Lydia was suddenly _very_ aware of her fangs, but she continued to sit still as she could.

“Hey, are you okay?” Kara asked. Without letting Lydia reply, she stopped and said, “Oh! It’s the blood, isn’t it?”

Lydia slowly nodded.

“Okay. I’ll be back in a moment.” Kara got up and hurried to the restrooms. 

When she was gone, Lydia took a deep breath and sank into her chair. She rested her elbow on the arm of the chair, putting her forehead in her hand. “Why couldn’t Lily and I have been born in this time, in this area, as humans?” She muttered softly enough that no human ears could have possibly picked it up.

It felt like ages, but realistically it was closer to two minutes, before Kara returned. She was no longer clutching the side of her face, and slipped into her seat with all the grace of a goddess. Just the sight of her was breathtaking.

Lydia just about choked on her words before they tumbled out. “Did you get the bleeding to stop?”

Kara nodded vigorously. “Mhm.” Her bright eyes found Lydia’s, and she spoke again, “I really appreciate your self control.”

Lydia tilted her head to the side, curious, “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, it’s just…. Ah, nevermind.” Kara began.

“Did you expect me to pounce on you like some kind of animal?” Lydia laughed.

Kara didn’t answer. Her face just turned a rosy pink. 

“I understand the concern, but if I can draw blood from a patient, and even tend to an open wound, I can handle a bitten cheek.” Lydia smirked.

“Pretty hypocritical of me, huh?” Kara asked.

“Well, it’s a normal thing to be worried about.” Lydia tilted her head to the other side, taking in Kara’s perfect posture, her nearly bare shoulders, the curve of her delicate neck. She flushed when she realized Kara was watching her stare.

Kara had a cheeky smirk on her face, and she leaned forward just a bit, exposing just how low-cut her dress really was. Lydia’s breath hitched, and she forced her eyes up to meet Kara’s. “Are you enjoying the view?” Kara asked in a low voice.

Lydia felt her face burn red. She couldn’t answer the question, because saying _“Yes”_ would imply that she was being indecent, but saying _“No”_ was an outright lie. Clearing her throat, she looked Kara in the eyes and decided to try to play her little game, leaning forward into the table as well. “Why do you ask? Are _you?”_

Kara had the same reaction, her face burning bright red and her green eyes widening with shock, as though she wasn’t expecting that response. She averted her gorgeous eyes, and mumbled, though Lydia could still hear her, “How did she know I was checking her out?”

Giggles bubbled up and out of Lydia before she could stop them. Kara’s eyes widened even further, if that was even possible, and she stared at Lydia.

“You heard that, didn’t you?” She asked quietly.

“Of course I heard. You weren’t exactly surreptitious.” Lydia was full-on grinning, her fangs exposed. 

Kara squeaked again, the sound almost inaudible to Lydia, and covered her mouth. _How precious she is, this damn woman,_ Lydia thought. Her grin slowly transformed into a lazy, relaxed smile. 

Eventually, both women relaxed enough to finish their meals. Lydia called Claudia over, and paid for their food, and offered to help Kara to her feet once she got her card back. Kara didn’t let go of her hand even after standing, instead lacing their fingers together. Lydia gave her hand a subconscious squeeze, then led the way out of the restaurant. 

As they left, they pushed their way through the double doors, both not wanting to go through the “After you - No, after you”s that would ensue from them trying to hold the door open for each other. Though when they made it back to Lydia’s car, she did hold Kara’s door open for her.

Kara tried to put on a stern expression, but failed and burst into a small fit of laughter. “Thank you, kind lady.”

Lydia bowed low at the hips, her long hair almost brushing the asphalt. Unbeknownst to her, Kara took in the sight eagerly, biting her lip and all. Lydia’s only clue that it may have even happened was the quiet gasp that came from Kara as she began to bow.

As Lydia closed the door and walked to the other side of the car, there was a pattering on the asphalt as something fast approached her.


End file.
